Glücksburg - exploring in Schleswig-Holstein

On our travel guide to Schleswig-Holstein, it is featured prominently and promoted as one of the top 10 attractions: Glücksburg Castle.

The area where the castle lake is located was once a Cistercian monastery, which was dissolved after the Reformation. The monastery ruins were later flooded and the old monks' cemetery now lies beneath the water of the lake.

In its place, a beautiful white water castle was built, which was used by the Danish kings as a summer residence. During our walk around the castle lake, we saw the 'King's Oak' - the favorite spot of Danish King Frederick VII.

He probably appreciated the view of the water castle from here.

In addition to us and some other walkers, various ducks, grebes, and swans also delighted in this view - although the feathered water residents were probably less interested in the view than in the lake's food supply.

From the path around the castle, a forest path leads to Flensburg Fjord and the spa center. This path has recently been lined with works of art.

In the spa center, besides two hotels and places to eat, there is also a ferry terminal from which you can take a boat to Flensburg and back during the summer months.

You can stroll along the promenade next to the fjord - a popular and lively walking path.

At the restaurant with the charming name 'Glückselig', we turned right to take a short path through the residential area and into the forest.

A draw for many families was the wild boar enclosure, where besides the boar 'Kuddel' and the sow 'Alvara Nigra', there were also seven cute piglets.

It became quieter as we ventured further into the forest and tried a slightly smaller hiking trail through the undergrowth.

There are many small ponds and meadows to discover in the forest.

We also came across a section of the 'Dolmen Path', which leads through the forest past Neolithic burial mounds.

In Glücksburg, there is also a small forest museum where you can learn more about the local forests, animals, and plants.

Our journey through the forest ended at a lake, where the loud calls of geese echoed. However, the swans and their young were undisturbed by this.