Take a deep breath on the Thalasso hiking trails in Warnemünde - the combination of resinous heathland air and salty iodine breezes gets body and mind in shape.
It doesn't always have to be sunbathing! Especially after a hot, sunny summer at the beach with many activities in and around the water, soul and body really long for relaxation and deceleration. An ideal template for an autumn visit to the Rostock Heath. Because here, in Germany's largest coastal forest, two components come together that contribute to health: the resinous forest air of the Rostock Heath on the one hand, and iodine and salt from the aerosol of the Baltic Sea on the other. Those who lace up their hiking boots here in the autumn months between October and December will be doing their health the greatest favor of all.
Walking is known to be the healthiest form of locomotion available to man. Even the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard knew that the best thoughts are hike and every sorrow go away can. That is already a good basis. Above all, however, a hike in the Rostock Heath also has an objective medical value, quite apart from the wellness effect for the soul: anyone who walks along one of the ten thalasso spa trails in and around Warnemünde strengthens their immune system, protects themselves against respiratory and skin diseases, and also supports their metabolism. The thalasso spa trails are between just under four and 17 kilometers long and lead through the wooded area of the Rostock Heath east of the Warnow estuary, but also partly along the beach. They thus combine walking on sand in the healthy sea air with exercise in the forest. The slogan is simply: take a deep breath! Thalasso, by the way, stands for the treatment of diseases with sea air, sea water, sun and sand.
Those who fear that thalasso hiking is a strict cure instead of a relaxing vacation can rest assured: In the Rostock Heath and the entire surrounding area, fun and entertainment are not neglected even during healthy hiking. The former fishing village of Warnemünde, for example, with its idyllic lighthouse and its quaint harbor entrance with its lovely fishermen's houses, has developed into a lively excursion destination. Volunteer "lighthouse men" guide visitors up the 30-meter-high tower, from which the most beautiful views of land and water are guaranteed. The so-called "Teepott" is also a Warnemünde landmark. Designed by land architect Ulrich Müther and erected in 1968, the building consists of a lot of glass, an original curved roof and a lot of people standing in front of it in amazement. (We'll reveal at this point: No, the name "Teepott" has nothing to do with the shape of the building, but with the fact that a tea pavilion once stood here).
TipA worthwhile excursion leads to the Stoltera cliff, a steep coast in the nature reserve of the same name west of Warnemünde. The onrushing Baltic Sea ensures that the forested cliff recedes by 35 centimeters every year.
Cover image: ©TZRW/Roth
