Region: Mecklenburg Lake District

Mecklenburg Lake District – the largest coherent lake and canal region in Germany and is sometimes called “the land of a thousand lakes”. There are several nature parks and well-known lakes with unique flora and fauna in the region, such as the Müritz, the biggest German lake lying entirely within Germany, the Plauer See, the Fleesensee, the Tollensesee, the Schmaler Luzin and the Kölpinsee.

The Mecklenburg Lake District is situated in the central and southern part of the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, mostly in historical region of Mecklenburg. In the south it crosses the border of the state Brandenburg. Hence it is also known as the Mecklenburg-Brandenburg Lake District.

Like the Pomeranian and Masurian lake plateaux, the Mecklenburg Lake District was formed about 12,000 years ago from the glacial meltwater valleys (urstromtäler) and sandar of the last ice age. The main terminal moraine of the Pomeranian stage of the Weichselian, the ridge that runs from Eberswalde-Chorin through Feldberg, Mecklenburg Switzerland to the Kühlung ridge near Kühlungsborn, borders the lakeland to the north.

The area in and around the Mecklenburg Lake District is partly hilly but mostly flat, sparsely populated and mainly covered by forests, lakes and marshes. The lakes themselves are popular for recreation, boating, fishing and several water sport activities.

Hikes in the Mecklenburg Lake District: