Discover Metelsdorf: Boulder Garden, Springs and History

Metelsdorf combines a landscape shaped by the Ice Age with geological features and traces of earlier human activity. The boulder garden focuses on the history of the rocks and the landscape; elsewhere, archaeological finds and the Metelsdorf springs offer glimpses into earlier times. For your travel plans, this makes Metelsdorf a place where the natural environment and cultural history offer different yet complementary perspectives.

Landscape and Boulder Garden

Metelsdorf lies in a hilly terminal moraine landscape formed during the last Ice Age, about 10,000 years ago. A geological highlight in the boulder garden is a granite block from Småland, Sweden. It is approximately 1.8 billion years old and stands at the centre of the grounds. The ages of the landscape and the boulder offer two very different geological timescales.

The boulder garden covers a 2,000-square-metre green space. Signs explain the age, origin, colour and use of the boulders. As well as the central granite block, you can explore information about the stones by looking at these different characteristics. A rest area is available at the boulder garden. As visitor facilities may change, check the latest information before your visit.

Walking Trails and the Metelsdorf Springs

The boulder garden is on a six-kilometre nature and history trail between Metelsdorf and Schulenbrook. Check route information locally before your trip. There is also a circular trail at the boulder garden that includes a glacial kettle hole and the Metelsdorf springs. The landscape and the history of its water are among the topics you will encounter along the way.

If you want to visit the springs specifically, take the route from A20 exit 8, Wismar-Mitte, via the B208 and local roads to Maibruchweg. Check these directions locally before setting out, as route information may change. The springs are also historically significant: they supplied Wismar with drinking water for more than 400 years, until this supply ended in 1967.

Archaeological and Historical Traces

Archaeological finds in the municipality document its early settlement history. One named Bronze Age site is the Tridamsberg burial mound near Klüssendorf, which was built around 2000 BC. The local history thus includes both general evidence of early settlement and a specifically dated burial mound as two distinct points of reference.

The history of the Metelsdorf springs also shows a connection to Wismar’s water supply. Another historical thread concerns land ownership: large parts of the municipality belonged to the Holy Spirit Hospital in Wismar for almost 600 years. These two details highlight different aspects—the city’s drinking water supply and the historical ownership of large parts of the municipality.

Landscape in the Wider Destination of Nordwestmecklenburg

In the wider destination of Nordwestmecklenburg, the north includes the landscape area “Nordwestmecklenburg Hills with Wismar Bay,” while the south includes the “West Mecklenburg Lake District with Lake Schwerin.” Other features of Nordwestmecklenburg’s landscape include terminal moraine ridges, gently undulating ground moraine plateaus, steep and gently sloping coastal sections, meltwater and drainage channels, and outwash plains. Metelsdorf itself lies in a hilly terminal moraine landscape; the other features listed describe the wider regional setting.

Discover more destinations: Bobitz, Ventschow, Bad Kleinen, Barnekow, Groß Stieten, Hohen Viecheln, Lübow.

Back to the wider travel overview: Amt Dorf Mecklenburg-Bad Kleinen.