Lüdersdorf: Nature and History in the Municipality

Nature in the Palinger Heide

The Palinger Heide, within the municipality, is characterised by sandy soils, inland dunes and predominantly woodland. There are also marshes and lakes: Möwenmoor lies in the southwest, Hoppenmoor in the northwest, and Kiebitzmoor is also in the heath. Those looking to enjoy outdoor activities will find many kilometres of cycling and hiking trails there. In summer, small, secluded forest lakes are inviting places to swim; conditions may vary seasonally.

The landscape’s history is also part of its character. Decades of restricted access during the border exclusion-zone period helped preserve flora and fauna in the Palinger Heide that had been undisturbed by people. It was designated a nature reserve in 1992. It is also part of the protected Green Belt landscape and the “Palinger Heide and Teschow Peninsula” Landscape Protection Area.

Another natural area in the municipality is Duvennester Moor. It forms an isolated section of the “Herrnburger Binnendüne and Duvennester Moor” Special Area of Conservation and lies in woodland south of Herrnburg. The standard data form, dated May 2017, lists nine habitat types from Annex I and the otter as a protected species under Annex II. This information is based on the data form as it stood at that time; it does not describe whether the species is present today.

Village History and Border Region

The villages also tell of different historical influences. Palingen was originally a lance-shaped green village. Until 1989, it lay within the border exclusion zone and was home to a border company. Duvennest is situated on the former Lübeck–Gadebusch freight route. Since 1466, a memorial stone in the Duvennester Tannen has commemorated a merchant who was killed while travelling.

Boitin-Resdorf was mentioned in 1257 under the name “Rastorpe.” The village is a compact, circular settlement on the Lübeck–Rehna highway. These local histories add settlement patterns and historical route connections to the picture of the landscape, without implying that the former freight route is a hiking or cycling trail today.

Church and Historic Herrnburg

The village church of Herrnburg, in the village of the same name, is a single-nave brick Gothic church. The oldest part of the church is a square box-shaped chancel with three east windows, dating to the mid-13th century. Visits can be arranged with the parish.

The furnishings include a Gothic winged altar with carved oak figures from the first half of the 15th century and a Marian altar from Lübeck’s Burgkirche, created by a Lübeck master. The 15th-century bronze baptismal font features late Gothic ornamentation and rests on three lion’s feet. The organ was made by organ builder Friedrich Albert Mehmel; it was brought into the church in 1884 together with the gallery and pews. A pulpit in the so-called auricular style dates from 1675 and is the work of Lübeck master G. Fick. A whale rib in the nave commemorates the men who went to sea to hunt whales.

Historic Herrnburg also includes the Old Customs House, the oldest surviving house in the Mecklenburg border village adjoining the Hanseatic city of Lübeck. The present building was erected in 1783 beside the village church, on the foundations of an earlier chapel. It is a two-storey half-timbered building and was initially used once again as a chapel. The church and customs house thus reflect different chapters in the village’s history: medieval religious architecture and the later use of a building on the border.

Discover more destinations: Lockwisch, Groß Siemz, Papenhusen, Menzendorf, Roduchelstorf, Selmsdorf, Niendorf, Dassow

For the overview of the wider area: Amt Schönberger Land.