Zarnewanz: Hiking and Manor House History

Zarnewanz was first mentioned in a document in 1268. Several points of interest offer ways to choose a destination: trails through the Recknitz Valley, traces of the Tessin sugar beet railway, manor house history and protected landscapes. If you are looking for a hotel in Zarnewanz, you can plan your stay around whether hiking, architectural history or the natural environment is your main interest. Local themes range from a specifically described hiking route to architectural forms that shape the village landscape.

Hiking and Sugar Beet Railway History

A hiking trail leads from Zarnewanz through Gnewitz and Stubbendorf to Ehmkendorf, through the Recknitz Valley. The sequence of named stops is useful for orientation: Zarnewanz is the starting point, Ehmkendorf the destination, and Gnewitz and Stubbendorf lie along the route described. This gives you a specific connection between the villages and the valley, rather than just a single destination.

In the Zarnewanz hiking area, signposted trails run along an old sugar beet railway line. The 65-kilometre-long sugar beet railway went into operation in 1895–1896, at the same time as the Tessin sugar factory was built; the Tessin GmbH narrow-gauge railway connected, among other places, Zarnewanz and Gnewitz. This gives the routes along the former line a connection to the region’s transport history. Traces of the former Tessin railway can still be seen in many places throughout the surrounding area, and information boards recall its route and history.

The local transport history also includes the cycle path along the L 18, which was completed in the built-up area of Zarnewanz in June 2000. Together with the hiking route and signposted trails, it offers a picture of different types of routes, from the historic railway line to cycling infrastructure.

Manor Houses and Village Landscape

Zarnewanz Manor House was built around 1850. It is centrally located in the village next to an adjoining park and is privately owned. A chapel was established in the manor house’s former dining room and was consecrated in 1931 by Heinrich Behm, regional superintendent from Bad Doberan. The chapel was deconsecrated in 2022. Its history thus includes not only the period of construction but also the establishment of the chapel, its consecration and its later deconsecration.

The estate with its manor house and park in Stormstorf, a district of Zarnewanz, is included in the district register of listed monuments. Stormstorf Manor House was built in 1871, is privately owned and is occupied.

The house form known as the Winkelhof also continues to have a major influence on the village landscape of Zarnewanz. It was developed in the late 1920s. This house form, which shapes the village landscape, complements the history of the individual manor houses, drawing attention to architecture that matters to the village beyond a single building.

Landscape and Protected Areas

Parts of the municipality of Zarnewanz are within the Reppeliner Bachtal Nature Reserve.

Across the wider region, the entire Recknitz catchment is a habitat for many rare and endangered animal and plant species. This natural environment is also featured in the visitor offer of the Zarnewanz hiking area. Its ecological significance thus extends beyond the municipality and complements local protected-area references with a larger landscape.

Discover more destinations: Selpin, Thelkow, Cammin, Grammow, Stubbendorf, Gnewitz, Nustrow.

Back to the main travel overview: Amt Tessin.