Salem: Lake, Farmhouses and Chapel

When looking for a hotel in Salem, you can decide in advance what you want to focus on: swimming and rowing, the village’s character, or a break during a farm tour? Salem offers a range of options for this.

Water and Village Character in Salem

Lake Salem offers opportunities for swimming and rowing. Local conditions may vary; check them before planning activities on the water. The village is characterized by wide Low German farmhouses, and St. Bartholomew’s Chapel stands on a hill in the village. Those interested in architectural heritage can make these buildings a focus when choosing where to stay; swimming and rowing, by contrast, draw attention to the lake.

Getting There and the Farm Tour

The farm tour starts and ends at the parking lot by the community center in Salem. From Ratzeburg, you can reach Salem via the L203 and Seestraße. Paid parking is available at the community center. Check local access and parking conditions before traveling, as regulations may change.

Kaisers Hofladen und Café in Salem is considered a place to stop for a break during the farm tour. Business details may change; check in advance whether a visit suits your schedule. This lets you take the stop into account when planning your own tour without assuming it is a fixed part of your stay.

Herzogtum Lauenburg as the Wider Travel Region

The wider travel destination of Herzogtum Lauenburg offers a broader landscape setting. The district of Herzogtum Lauenburg is 26 percent forest and includes 48 lakes. The district is also home to the Sachsenwald, the largest contiguous forest area in Schleswig-Holstein. These details describe Herzogtum Lauenburg, not individual features of Salem.

The Lauenburg Lakes Nature Park lies in the heart of Herzogtum Lauenburg. Covering an area of about 35 by 17 kilometers, it provides habitat for, among others, kingfishers, white-tailed eagles, and cranes. Visitor facilities include hiking trails, observation towers, educational trails, and rest areas. In the nature park, visitors can hike, cycle, canoe, and swim in forest lakes; there are also four signposted cycling routes.

Those interested in guided nature and history topics can find expert-led excursions in the nature park covering its flora and fauna as well as the district’s cultural history. Check individual dates separately. For hiking, the European long-distance trails E1, E6, and E9 cross Herzogtum Lauenburg from north to south via Ratzeburg, Mölln, and Lauenburg.

The regional cultural offerings also have their own highlights: the Elbschifffahrtsmuseum in Lauenburg/Elbe presents the interactive, three-story exhibition “Mensch-Modell-Maschine” about shipping. Visitors can get hands-on with models and experimental stations. The Kreismuseum Herzogtum Lauenburg in Ratzeburg displays exhibits on the history of the dukes of Lauenburg and the inner-German border.

Discover more destinations: Roseburg, Müssen, Lehmrade, Wentorf Bei Hamburg, Kittlitz, Breitenfelde, Möhnsen, Krummesse.

View the wider travel overview: Herzogtum Lauenburg.