Discover Krüzen

Krüzen combines a long local history with an agricultural setting and the Krüzen Wildlife Park. This gives you a mix of historical themes, landscapes and wildlife watching to consider when choosing your destination. The following features can help you decide whether Krüzen is a good fit for the kind of stay you have in mind.

Historical Traces in Krüzen

Krüzen is mentioned as Crutsem in the Ratzeburg tithe register of 1230. The place name probably derives from Old Polabian *krusina; possible meanings include “gravel place” or “buckthorn.” St. Martin’s Chapel was built around 1300. From 1835 to 1968, the former chapel served as a schoolhouse with a teacher’s residence. The building’s history therefore encompasses both its medieval construction and a clearly dated later use. In 1627, Krüzen was completely burned down by Tilly’s Croatian troops. The village renewal program ran from 1988 to 2000; Krüzen was designated a “Beautiful Village” in 2009 and 2012. The village’s earlier history also includes prehistoric cup-marked stones at the sites of “oolen Heed” and “Steinrie.”

Agricultural Landscape and Historic Routes

The landscape around Krüzen and Juliusburg is agricultural in character and has a medium to high degree of structural diversity. Features include a denser network of hedgerows and Heidberg, a hill north of Krüzen. The terrain slopes down to the Augraben to the west. The hedgerows, hill and slope give the agricultural landscape its distinctive form and make the local landscape features easy to picture.

A section of the historic Old Salt Road ran between Krüzen and Juliusburg in the direction of Lütau. The Old Salt Road is also a holiday route and long-distance cycling route; its route between Lüneburg, Lauenburg and Schwarzenbek includes, among other roads, the B209. This provides both a historical connection with the section between the villages and a broader regional context for the route.

Krüzen Wildlife Park

Krüzen Wildlife Park is an attraction featuring wild animals as well as old and endangered domestic animal breeds. One of its aims is to breed rare wild animals and endangered domestic breeds for conservation. Visitors can observe animals up close; with a little luck, you may also be able to hold some of them. The wildlife park is considered easy to explore on foot and has child-friendly activity stations. Wildlife watching and conservation breeding are therefore distinct themes alongside the village’s history and landscape.

The Duchy of Lauenburg as a Wider Landscape Setting

The wider travel destination of the Duchy of Lauenburg offers a broader view of the landscape: 26 percent of the district is forest, and it includes 48 lakes. The Lauenburg Lakes Nature Park lies at the heart of the duchy. It has hiking trails, observation towers, nature trails and places to rest; it has been set up as a protected area for visitors to explore since 1960. Activities available there include hiking, cycling, canoeing and swimming in forest lakes. Four signposted cycling tours add to what is on offer. The Schaalsee landscape lies in the eastern part of the duchy; Lake Schaalsee is the deepest clear-water lake in northern Germany, and its deepest point lies 72 meters below the water’s surface. Thus the hedgerows and agricultural landscape around Krüzen sit alongside the forests, lakes and waterways of the wider duchy.

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