Holstein Switzerland [1] (German : Holsteinische Schweiz) is a hilly area with a patchwork of lakes and forest in Schleswig Holstein, Germany, reminiscent of Swiss landscape. Its highest point is the Bungsberg (168 metres above sea level). [2] It is a designated nature park as well as an important tourist destination in Northern Germany situated between the cities of Kiel and Lübeck.
Holstein Switzerland lies in eastern Schleswig-Holstein. This picturesque region in the historical county of Wagria has no precise political or geographic boundaries. Most of the area falls within the districts of Ostholstein and Plön, roughly between the cities of Lübeck and Kiel and extends as far north as the Baltic coast. Its major towns include Bad Malente-Gremsmühlen, Lütjenburg, Oldenburg in Holstein, Preetz and the old Residenz seats of Eutin and Plön.
The charm of this region is its ever-changing landscape of the Young Drift moraines of the Schleswig-Holstein Uplands which were formed during the last ice age. Small woods alternate rapidly with hedged, arable fields and the terrain is characterised by its many lakes nestling amongst low hills. Amongst the more well-known lakes are the Großer Plöner See, the Dieksee and the Kellersee. Rivers and water meadows abound, such as the Schwentine, which flows into Kiel Fjord or the Kossau, which discharges into the Großer Binnensee. The highest elevation is the Bungsberg near Schönwalde. With the only ski lift in Schleswig-Holstein and a height of 168 metres (551 ft) above NN it is also the highest hill in the state.
The German name for the region, Holsteinische Schweiz, goes back to the 19th century when holidaying in Switzerland was particularly popular amongst the well-to-do. As a consequence, other regions strove to add the name "Switzerland" to their description. (By this time, Saxon Switzerland had already been known as such for a century). On 20 May 1885 Johannes Janus opened the Hotel Holsteinische Schweiz at Malente on the Kellersee which enjoyed enormous popularity. The name of the hotel was then transferred to Holsteinische Schweiz station and, later, to the whole region.
Holstein Switzerland has been settled for several thousand years. In the Early Middle Ages part of the area was occupied by the Slavic Wends, whose traces may still be found, for example, in Oldenburg, and who founded the settlements of Plön and Eutin. In the Middle Ages, from the 9th century onwards, the region was colonised and controlled by the Carolingian Empire. In the late Middle Ages the towns developed into small centres of local commerce and the local feudal lords (Landadel) expanded their fortified manor houses. At the beginning of the recent era, these manorial seats formed the basis of aristocratic estates (Adliges Güter) which dominated the landscape and the economy from about 1500 until the 20th century. From the 16th century Plön and Eutin became residences of various branches of the House of Oldenburg.
These estates had a thriving cultural scene which, for example, led to Eutin being described at the turn of the 19th century as the "Weimar of the North". Until the middle of the 19th century the area was dominated by Denmark, which initially ran the region as a feoff, but eventually integrated it into the Danish nation-state. In 1867 Holstein Switzerland was transferred to Prussia as part of Holstein. After the end of the First World War some of the traditional estates were broken up. Following the Second World War, tourism has played a leading role in the economy of the region.
The rural landscape is still characterised by large, aristocratic estates and historic forms of farming that are mainly tied into large farm estates and their associated manor houses. These include Panker, Testorf, Rantzau and Hagen in Probsteierhagen. Several of the castles, such as Eutin and Plön may be visited and many of the estate farms are open to the public during the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival or other events.[ citation needed ]
In order of size:
Plön is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Ostholstein and Segeberg, the city of Neumünster, the district of Rendsburg-Eckernförde, the city of Kiel and the Baltic Sea.
Ostholstein is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Stormarn, Segeberg and Plön, the Baltic Sea and the city of Lübeck. Geographically, the district covers the vast majority of what is considered to be the peninsular of Wagria.
Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany.
Eutin is the district capital of Eastern Holstein county located in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein. As of December 2022, the town had some 17,000 inhabitants.
Bosau is a municipality on the Great Plön Lake the district of Ostholstein, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated approximately 13 km west of Eutin, and 30 km southeast of the state capital of Kiel.
The Großer Plöner See or Lake Plön is the largest lake (30 km²) in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is located near the town of Plön. Its main tributary, as well as its main outflow, is the River Schwentine.
The Schwentine is a river in the North German state of Schleswig-Holstein. It is approximately 62 kilometres (39 mi) long and rises on the hill of Bungsberg, the highest point in the state, near the village of Kasseedorf in Ostholstein. It then runs from its source to Kiel where it flows into the Kiel Fjord, a bay of the Baltic Sea. It passes through several lakes, including the Großer Plöner See, the largest lake in Schleswig-Holstein, as well as the towns Eutin, Malente, Plön, Preetz and Kiel.
The Dieksee is a lake in the Holstein Switzerland region of North Germany.
The Kleine Plöner See is a lake in Holstein Switzerland in North Germany.
The Sibbersdorfer See is a lake in the district of Ostholstein within the region known as Holstein Switzerland in the North German state of Schleswig-Holstein.
The Schleswig-Holstein Uplands or Schleswig-Holstein Morainic Uplands is one of the three landscapes of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein; the others being the marsch and the geest. In addition, the gently rolling hills or Hügelland of the Baltic Uplands, the many small lakes and the long, deep embayments (Förde) formed by the moraines of the Weichselian Ice Age are characteristic features of the area. Its best-known towns are Kiel, Lübeck and Flensburg. The highest elevation in the area is the Bungsberg in the region known as Holstein Switzerland. On the Bungsberg is the only ski lift in the state.
Wagria is the northeastern part of Holstein in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, corresponding roughly to the districts of Plön and Ostholstein. The word "Wagria" is derived from the Slavic Lechites tribe of Wagri, which meant "those who live by the bays".
Holsteinische Schweiz station is a railway station by the Kellersee lake on the Malente-Gremsmühlen–Lütjenburg railway in Schleswig-Holstein. It was opened on 25 May 1890. The entire route was built due to the efforts of businessman Johannes Janus, who ran the Hotel Holsteinische Schweiz after which the station was named.
Eutin Castle in Eutin in the north German district of Ostholstein is the cultural centre and nucleus of the town. Taken together, this castle, Gottorf Castle and Glücksburg Castle, form the most important group of courtly secular buildings in the state of Schleswig-Holstein.
The Holstein Switzerland Nature Park is a German federal nature park in the Holstein Switzerland region of Schleswig-Holstein.
Tourism is an important economic factor for Germany's northernmost state of Schleswig-Holstein.
The Kiel–Lübeck railway is a non-electrified, mostly single-track railway line in eastern Schleswig-Holstein in north Germany. It links Kiel and Lübeck, the only two large cities in the state. Passenger services on the 81-kilometre route are currently (2010) operated by DB Regio.
The Malente–Lütjenburg railway was a standard gauge, branch line in the north German state of Schleswig-Holstein. It was built by the businessman, Janus, who ran the Holsteinische Schweiz hotel, that gave its name to the local station on the line. It is currently closed.
The Neumünster–Ascheberg railway runs from the mid Holstein city of Neumünster east to Ascheberg (Holstein) near Plön in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. The 26 kilometre line is currently closed, although there is a campaign to reopen it.
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