Saustrup: Farm History and Schlei Nature Park

Saustrup offers a historical focus for trip planning: the history of named farms and their connection to the landscape. The medieval Monkhowswisch estate and Flarupgaard are different points of reference. If you also take local history into account when choosing your destination, the farms offer a tangible way to explore the area’s past.

Historic farms and traces of the past

The Monkhowswisch estate dates back to the Middle Ages. It stood on a natural rise where the Saustruper Au and the former Hagenbek meet. Its connection to Mohrkirchen Monastery is considered likely. This makes it possible to place the estate’s history in both time and space: the rise and confluence describe its location, while its association with the monastery remains a possible historical connection.

Flarupgaard is the successor to a farm documented as far back as the 14th century. This farm history has a different historical emphasis from the medieval Monkhowswisch estate. Together, the two points of reference offer insight into the long history of Saustrup’s farms, without merging them into a single farm history. This may make a difference to your decision: the focus here is on historical connections and landscape, not a list of current offerings.

Saustrup in Schlei Nature Park

Saustrup is one of the municipalities located wholly or partly within Schlei Nature Park. The Angeln section of the park is characterized by a diverse agricultural landscape; the larger nature park also includes the Schlei and the Baltic coast. Across the broader destination of Schleswig-Flensburg, the nature park encompasses gentle hills, forests, hedgerows, rapeseed and grain fields, sandy beaches, and swimming coves. The Schlei’s brackish-water areas provide habitats for numerous endangered bird species.

Geltinger Birk is also among the nature attractions in the broader destination of Schleswig-Flensburg. At 773 hectares, it is the largest nature reserve in Schleswig-Flensburg district. It has well-maintained paths and guided walks that share information about flora and fauna. Schlei Nature Park and Geltinger Birk thus represent different regional connections to nature, without either being equated with Saustrup’s own local history.

Nature and culture in Schleswig-Flensburg

The broader destination of Schleswig-Flensburg offers guided nature tours in Schlei Nature Park. The Viking-Frisian Way, the Ox Road, and 15 signposted themed cycling routes also run through the landscape. Another specific cycling option is the 25-kilometre SchleiUferTörn: a circular route around the central part of the Schlei that starts in Arnis. The options differ in kind: guided nature interpretation, signposted cycling routes, or a named circular route of a set length.

The history of the broader destination of Schleswig-Flensburg also extends beyond local farm histories. Haithabu and the Danevirke have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since June 2018. More than 25 kilometres of the Danevirke rampart still remain today. In Idstedt, the historic memorial site and museum provide information about German-Danish history surrounding the uprising of 1848 and the Battle of Idstedt. In the regional context, archaeological heritage and museum topics sit alongside Saustrup’s farm history.

Discover more destinations: Böel, Scheggerott, Loit, Nottfeld, Boren, Rügge, Ulsnis, Stolk

See the broader travel overview: Süderbrarup.