When your vacation begins with a trip through a hanger, it promises to be something special. From the island's lighthouses to its nature reserves and the lively center of Burg auf Fehmarn - 6 recommendations for your Fehmarn trip.
With a ride The 963-meter-long "coat hanger," as the Fehmarnsund Bridge is also affectionately and ironically called, is where travelers usually begin their vacation on Fehmarn. Since 1963, the striking structure has connected the south of the island with the Schleswig-Holstein mainland. The combined road and rail bridge is part of the so-called bird flight line between the Copenhagen and Hamburg metropolitan areas, named after the parallel flight route of many migratory birds between Central Europe and Scandinavia. The bridge, which has been a listed building since 1998, has become one of Schleswig-Holstein's landmarks and is one of Fehmarn's most popular photo motifs.
Popular destinations and grateful photo motifs are also the five lighthouses of Fehmarn. With its 37 meters, the new Flügger lighthouse is not only the highest on the island, but also the one with the most beautiful view thanks to its location in the Krummsteert nature reserve. Moreover, it is the only one that can still be climbed today. From April to the end of October you can climb the 162 steps and look forward to a wonderful view over Fehmarn. Other towers are the Staberhuk lighthouse on the southeastern tip of the island, the Westermarkelsdorf lighthouse in the northwest, which shows ships the way into the Fehmarn Belt, the Marienleuchte lighthouse in the northeast, built in 1832 in honor of the Danish queen, and Strukkamphuk in the south, the smallest lighthouse on Fehmarn.
The former capital of Fehmarn is the lively center of the island. Narrow alleys, cobblestone streets and old half-timbered houses provide the right ambience during a relaxing stroll through the old town. Around the market square you will find numerous small stores, restaurants, cafes and bars, but also the worth seeing St. Nikolai church and the red brick town hall of the city. Freshly caught fish and a maritime atmosphere await you in Burgstaaken harbor. Of course, you can also go shopping here - the Breite Straße with its stores housed in well-preserved old brick houses is the main shopping street of the island.
Fehmarn is home to an amazing large number of smaller but worthwhile museums. For example, Europe's last existing sailing windmill, the Jachen Flünk barley mill in Lemkenhafen, built in 1778, today houses a mill museum, the Fehmarn Museum in Burg shows exciting exhibits on the geology and history of the island in 22 exhibition rooms, and the Übersee - Kunst - Kultur - Völkerforum (Overseas - Art - Culture - People's Forum) museum displays collections of traditional arts and crafts from various continents. A journey through time from the origin of the earth, through the time of the dinosaurs to today's man with many opportunities to participate and try out you can undertake in the Galileo Knowledge World. An insight into the history of rescuing people at sea is provided by the Sea Rescue Museum in Burgstaaken. The decommissioned submarine U11, the centerpiece of the local submarine museum, is also located here.
Highlight of the marina Burgtiefe is the 16.50 meter high, barrier-free and freely accessible observation tower, which will be opened in October 2021. 72 steps or an elevator will take you to the observation platform. From here you have a great view over Burgtiefe, the marina, the Burger Binnensee and the Baltic Sea. Fehmarn's connection to Denmark is the ferry port of Puttgarden. From here, ferries depart every 30 minutes to Rödby, 19 kilometers away. The trip takes about 45 minutes. Other harbors where you can always admire one or the other fancy yacht are the former Sund ferry port and today's marina Fehmarnsund and Burgstaaken (with museum submarine and sea rescue museum).
Fehmarn is an important resting place for tens of thousands of migratory birds on their way north and south. No less than four nature reserves, with their favorable location and a particularly rich food supply, offer the animals ideal breeding and living conditions. The Grüner Brink, a strip of land between the dike and the Baltic Sea in the north, about 2.5 km long and up to 180 meters wide, is characterized by numerous small lakes that provide a home for about 170 different bird species. At the south-western tip lies the Krummsteert, while the "Nördliche Seeniederung" nature reserve stretches from the Fastensee lake north of Bojendorf over the Markesdorfer Huk to the Grüner Brink. From the observation tower at the Markelsdorfer Huk and from the dike you have a beautiful view of the landscape and the local bird life. The Wallnau nature reserve, which consists of ponds, reed beds, meadows and part of the Baltic Sea, is extremely diverse and also includes the Fehmarn NABU bird sanctuary.
By train comfortably and without traffic jams to Fehmarn: Plan arrival.
Cover photo: Good weather (almost) always guaranteed - Fehmarn is also known as Germany's sunny island © Raphael Koch - stock.adobe.com
