Through the Count's Lands

The starting point is the church in Kalkhorst, built in the Middle Ages. Once you arrive in Hohen Schönberg, follow the “Rund ums Schloss” trail through the Le(o)norenwald, tracing the counts’ footsteps. Large parts of the forest and the farming village were once owned by the Bothmer family. In the Le(o)norenwald itself, you’ll find two giant sequoias—unusual for this area—and several count’s boundary stones. From the edge of the forest, you have a good view of the land that was formerly owned by the Counts of Bothmer. Arpshagen is where the castle’s architect lived. On the way to Bothmer Castle, you’ll pass the ruins of Plessenburg Castle. Until they sold their estate to Count Bothmer in 1720, the von Plessen family ruled over the Klützer Winkel region for 400 years. Bothmer Castle is also definitely worth a visit as a stop along this route. It is the largest Baroque castle complex in Mecklenburg. The villages of Grundshagen, Elmenhorst, and Brook were all leased from the Bothmers. In Brook stands the “Strandvilla” with the adjacent “Sorgenfrei” park; both are privately owned and therefore not open to the public. The “Strandvilla” served as the Bothmer family’s summer residence beginning in 1891.