Ellingstedt: Circular Routes and the Danevirke

Ellingstedt offers a clear focus for a stay that brings together signposted routes and regional history. Three circular routes, the cultural and hiking trail, and traces of the Danevirke shape the choice of activities. When planning your hotel stay, you can first decide whether route lengths, archaeological connections or the weekly market matter most to you.

Circular Routes for Hiking and Cycling

All three signposted circular routes for hiking and cycling start at the information board for the cultural trail at Op de Wohm. The Ente Circular Route is 9 kilometres long, the Igel Circular Route about 8.5 kilometres, and the Hase Circular Route about 8 kilometres. Ente is therefore the longest of the three routes; it is approximately one kilometre longer than the shortest route, Hase. Along the routes, you will find information about local history by the roadside. The Ente Circular Route passes a megalithic tomb and two other megalithic tombs. A paved path runs alongside the Margarethenwall there.

Cultural Trail and Traces of the Danevirke

Signs guide visitors along the cultural and hiking trail. It has 20 stops with information boards, whose QR codes link to further information. The cultural and hiking trail complements the tourist offering and is connected to the World Heritage Site.

A section of the 26-kilometre-long Danevirke runs through Ellingstedt and is known here as the Margarethenwall. A small part of the main rampart also lies within Ellingstedt; in addition, a large part of the core and buffer zones of the Krummwall is in this area. During archaeological excavations in 2013, researchers discovered a settlement dating from the Viking Age. They also uncovered well-preserved remains of a medieval route, possibly dating from the Viking Age, between the village and the Danevirke.

In the wider travel destination of Schleswig-Flensburg, Haithabu and the Danevirke have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since June 2018. The Danevirke area in Ellingstedt is designated as a landscape conservation area. Paths around the area invite visitors to hike, cycle and relax. The wider travel destination of Schleswig-Flensburg also includes the Eider-Treene-Sorge river landscape and the Schlei Nature Park. The Schlei Nature Park features gentle hills, forests, hedgerows, rapeseed and grain fields, sandy beaches and bathing bays; the Schlei’s brackish-water areas provide a habitat for numerous endangered bird species. In the wider travel destination of Schleswig-Flensburg, the Haithabu-Danevirke World Heritage Site has been protected as a nature reserve since 1950.

Weekly Market and Getting There

The weekly market takes place on Thursdays and offers culinary specialities. The municipality highlights the high quality of the selection and reports that visitors also come from outside Ellingstedt. Check the market day before you travel.

Bus route 661 connects Ellingstedt with Silberstedt and Hollingstedt; route 670 offers, among other things, a connection to Schleswig. Check current timetables and routes before travelling.

Discover more destinations: Lürschau, Gammellund, Schuby, Silberstedt, Treia, Bollingstedt, Jübek.

See the wider travel overview: Arensharde.