Tannenhausen: Swimming Lake, Megalithic Tomb and Cycling Routes

In Tannenhausen, the swimming lake and the megalithic tomb offer different highlights for your stay. There are also two cycling routes that pass through the Aurich district, as well as an information board at the Aurich-Tannenhausen war cemetery.

Swimming Lake Tannenhausen: Beach and Leisure Activities

Swimming Lake Tannenhausen has a white bathing beach that slopes gently into the lake. The leisure and recreation area by the lake offers swimming, a wakeboard facility with an aqua park, pedal boat and SUP hire, beach volleyball, a playground, beach chairs and a circular walking trail. So, in addition to a visit to the beach, you can enjoy activities and time by the water.

The floating aqua park at the swimming lake features diving towers up to 3.50 metres high, climbing towers, slides and a water trampoline. Another option for swimming is the lake’s dog bathing area. It has a gently sloping sandy beach, is fully fenced and can be reached via its own entrance. This means the white bathing beach and the separately accessible dog bathing area can be seen as distinct parts of what the lake has to offer.

Megalithic Tomb: Archaeology and Local Names

The megalithic tomb on Am Hünengrab is an approximately 5,000-year-old tomb from the Funnel Beaker culture. This early farming culture began around 4000 BC. The City of Aurich reconstructed the tomb in 2014, added information boards and opened it to the public. In the front section, you can see the reconstruction of the eastern of the two burial chambers.

The stones’ names are also part of local tradition: the three original boulders of the megalithic tomb are known locally as “Butter, Bread and Cheese” or, in Low German, “Botter, Brood un Kääs.” A selection of the finds and a model of the tomb are on display at the nearby Aurich Historical Museum. In the wider destination of Aurich, the museum is located in the heart of the old town in the former princely chancellery; it presents Aurich’s history as a residential town.

Cycling Routes Through Tannenhausen

Two named routes pass through the Aurich district, offering options for a cycling tour. The northern route of the Aurich Circular Tour is 42 kilometres long; the “Ewiges Meer Route” covers 32 kilometres. The routes therefore differ in length by ten kilometres, giving you a clear comparison if you want to choose your tour based on its stated distance.

The “Ewiges Meer Route” combines cycling with information about the natural and cultural history of the landscape: at information points, you can learn about rare plant and animal species and the former lives of the people who inhabited the former raised bog landscape. These themes give the route a distinctive focus, while the northern route is described by its length and its course through Tannenhausen.

Information About the War Cemetery

An information board at the Aurich-Tannenhausen war cemetery, written in two languages, provides information about the prisoner-of-war camp in Tannenhausen, the situation of Soviet prisoners of war and the historical background. Alongside the far-reaching history of the megalithic tomb, the town also has this distinctly different historical theme.

Discover more destinations: Lütetsburg, Großefehn, Wirdum, Krummhörn, Ihlow, Hagermarsch, Marienhafe, Wiesmoor.

For the wider travel overview: Aurich.