Artlenburg: Elbe, Church and Windmill

Artlenburg lies directly on the Elbe and west of Elbufer-Drawehn Nature Park. The Elbe-Seitenkanal also flows into the Elbe here. When looking for a hotel in Artlenburg, the riverside setting, architectural history and cycling offer clear points of reference. You can decide whether to focus your stay on St. Nicolai Church, the windmill, or the area’s connection to the Elbe and the canal.

History and Buildings

The Artlenburg Privilege is a document issued by Henry the Lion in 1161. It granted merchants from Lübeck and Gotland equal rights in their respective territories. The town’s history is thus linked to a specific document and the trading relationships between the two groups of merchants.

Artlenburg Windmill is an octagonal Dutch-style windmill on a square base made of unfired bricks. The first mill at this site began operating in 1833. A visit can be arranged by appointment, so please arrange a time in advance. Its octagonal structure and square base provide two specific features by which to understand its architectural form. The first mill’s opening date adds the history of the site to this architectural perspective.

St. Nicolai was rebuilt as a late Neoclassical transverse church after the fire of 1821. Inside the church, a pulpit altar is located in the center of the south longitudinal wall. This brings together a clearly dated turning point in the town’s history and a precisely located interior detail. St. Nicolai is also a cycling church on the Elbe Cycle Route, open during the day year-round. Check the opening hours before your visit.

An old castle moat still partly surrounds the elevated settlement mound. The mound and the surviving moat add another trace of the historic settlement form to the buildings.

The Elbe, Cycling and Getting There

You can reach Artlenburg via the B209 between Lüneburg and Lauenburg. The municipality recommends cycling along the Elbe and enjoying the scenery. Together with the St. Nicolai cycling church, this offers a distinct perspective on the destination: riverside landscapes and cycling sit alongside the local buildings and their history.

More topics in the wider Lüneburg destination

The wider Lüneburg destination offers other historical and scenic themes. The erratic boulder ring near Breetze features boulders that bear witness to the glacial formation of the Elbe Urstromtal. The megalithic tombs in Schieringer Forst, between Barskamp and Walmsburg, were built during the Neolithic period, between 3000 and 2300 BC. A circular hiking trail leads from Walmsburg village square to the tombs. The Lüneburg Ship Lift in Scharnebeck is the largest ship lift of its kind in Germany. Lüneburg Water Tower has an observation platform at a height of 56 m, offering views over Lüneburg and the surrounding area. These examples focus on different things than Artlenburg’s location on the Elbe, church and windmill.

Discover more destinations

Bardowick, Bleckede, Heiligenthal, Neu Garge, Melbeck, Amt Neuhaus, Dahlenburg, Radbruch

To the wider travel overview: Lüneburg.