Pölchow: Village History and the Warnow Tour

If you are planning a stay in Pölchow, two themes provide a clear point of reference: the village’s documented history and the Warnow Tour, which passes by the village. Pölchow is considered a circular village. The oldest surviving documentary mention of the village, under the name “Polchowe,” dates from 1275. A description of the village layout and an early written reference therefore offer two distinct historical perspectives.

Village History and Historic Monuments

The Rostock District Register of Historic Monuments, dated May 14, 2024, lists the war memorial for 1914/18 with a peace oak on Alte Dorfstraße, as well as several historic buildings. These include the former semi-detached farm laborers’ house at Alte Dorfstraße 6, the former school building at Alte Dorfstraße 14, and the residential houses with barns at Rostocker Straße 6 and 7. The selection thus ranges from a memorial to a former residence and a former school building, as well as residential houses with barns. If you are interested in architectural and local history, these different building types provide a tangible thread running through the local story.

The Warnow Tour and Wildlife Watching

The Warnow Tour from Schwaan to Rostock passes through the “Unteres Warnowland” nature reserve and by Pölchow. The tour also runs through the “Warnowtal mit kleinen Zuflüssen” Special Area of Conservation and the “Warnowtal, Sternberger Seen und untere Mildenitz” Special Protection Area. From the water, you may spot white-tailed eagles, kingfishers, and woodpeckers on the Warnow Tour; with a little luck, you may also see beavers. Nature and the river provide a different focus from the village history reflected in the buildings and memorial mentioned above.

Getting to Pölchow

Pölchow has an S-Bahn station at Bahnhofsweg 17b. If you plan to travel by train, check the current timetable before setting off.

More to Explore in the Greater Rostock Destination

In the greater Rostock destination, buses and trains operate within the Rostock District Transport Association; visitors can use one ticket to travel throughout the region, including the Hanseatic and university city of Rostock. Check the relevant connections for your journey.

In the greater Rostock destination, Sternberger Seenland Nature Park offers a landscape all its own: deep, steep-sided valleys along the Warnow, numerous lakes, picturesque hills, and extensive forests. Hiking and cycling are the main activities there.

The Volhynian Resettlers Museum in Linstow is also part of the greater Rostock destination. Tours there use ethnographic objects, photographs, and documents to tell the story of the Volhynian Germans from the mid-19th century to their settlement in Mecklenburg after the Second World War. This offers a different historical perspective from Pölchow’s circular-village history and the former uses of its buildings.

The greater Rostock destination is also served by the historic Molli narrow-gauge railway between Kühlungsborn and Bad Doberan; it is the oldest narrow-gauge railway on the Baltic coast. It adds another historical dimension, this time focusing on railway history.

Discover more destinations: Ziesendorf, Stäbelow, Kritzmow, Papendorf, Elmenhorst/Lichtenhagen, Lambrechtshagen

Return to the overview of the greater destination: Amt Warnow-West.