Natural oasis and
bathing paradise

Priwall and Pötenitzer Wiek

Idyllic peninsula with dunes and a natural beach

Priwall is a peninsula in the Trave estuary measuring around three kilometres in length. It enchants you with its unique natural world, idyllic hiking trails and a beautiful bathing beach with its dune landscape. It is a very special place of untouched natural beauty and pristine nature embedded between the Trave estuary, the Baltic Sea and Pötenitzer Wiek. Rare species of birds rest and breed in the bird sanctuary, and sand ryegrass and sea buckthorn grow between the dunes and the wood.

 

Tip: The sun rises in the east - Experience the beautiful early morning sunrise above the horizon on the beach!

What can I experience on Priwall?

In the north of Priwall, you will find a pristine natural beach on the Baltic Sea with gentle dunes and adjoining woodland. A dog beach right by the Südermole jetty at the start of the wonderful bathing beach invites dogs to enjoy canine bathing pleasure. The Baltic Sea coastal cycle trail takes you eastwards along the water at all times while numerous access points to the beach invite cyclists to take a summer dip in the sea along the way. There is an official nudist beach for fans of naturism on the state border with Mecklenburg Western Pomerania.

 

The nature conservation area of “Südlicher Priwall” with the adjoining shallow water zones of Pötenitzer Wiek, a lagoon-shaped extension in Traveförde, constitutes a genuine paradise for many rare species of plants and animals. Explore the nature conservation area on the “Südlicher Priwall” circular hiking trail, and experience the most beautiful side of Priwall!

Look at nature and you will understand everything.
Albert Einstein

Nature workshop Priwall

Visit the nature workshop on Priwall and find out about nature conservation on the ground. The aim of the initiative is to restore Priwall which is one of the oldest bird sanctuaries on Germany’s Baltic coast, to its status as a refuge for shorebirds. To achieve this, guided nature adventure tours will be offered in the nature conservation area and in Priwall’s dunes as well as boat excursions to the tern island in Pötenitzer Wiek. Ecopedagogical offers for school classes round off the programme.

To Nature workshop (DE)

On the history of Priwall

For many centuries, the Priwall peninsula was used as a grazing area for cattle. It wasn’t until the 19th century that a bathing facility for local residents was created in parallel to the fashionable spa on the other side of the Trave. In the meantime, the aircraft and shipbuilding industry established itself there before nature was given free rein again more than 50 years ago. Until 1990, the inner-German border ran along Priwall’s narrow land connection with the result that this peninsula belonging to the Federal Republic could not be reached by the land route from the East. It lapsed into a deep sleep like Sleeping Beauty and became a nearly undisturbed summer holiday colony for residents of Lübeck seeking rest and recreation. Only after the border opened did Priwall increasingly develop into a sought-after holiday destination between the dunes, beach and sea.