Göhlen: Iron Smelting and Cycling Tours
Accommodation in Göhlen
Göhlen combines a distinctive trace of regional history with cycling routes through the Griese Gegend: remains of more than 500 bloomery furnaces, iron slag and a blacksmith’s workplace mark one of the largest iron-smelting sites in northern Germany. Those interested in early iron production will find both archaeological evidence and a reconstructed bloomery furnace in Göhlen. When planning a trip, it is also worth considering the choice between shorter and longer cycling tours.
Iron Smelting in Göhlen
At the edge of the village, a reconstructed bloomery furnace from the Migration Period stands inside a glass case. The model shows how iron was extracted from bog iron ore about 1,600 years ago. The installation illustrates the process, while the remains of more than 500 bloomery furnaces, the slag and the blacksmith’s workplace point to the scale of the historic smelting site.
A further insight into the technology comes from more recent times: on August 18, 2005, iron was smelted in the reconstructed bloomery furnace using bog iron ore, wood and peat. The process followed the Germanic iron-smelting methods practiced in Göhlen in the 4th and 5th centuries. The time gap between this demonstration and the furnace’s original use helps put the reconstruction into context as a practical illustration of the historic technology.
Cycling Tours: A Shorter Loop or a Day Trip
The 24-kilometre Kleine Klump Tour is a circular route that takes half a day. It starts in Glaisin and Göhlen and passes the Germanic smelting site and the bloomery furnace model in Göhlen. The tour is suitable for families with children and less experienced cyclists. It offers a way to combine learning about iron smelting with a shorter cycling tour.
For a longer option, the 46-kilometre Raseneisenstein-Dörfer-Tour runs through the Griese Gegend and via Göhlen. It is classed as a day trip for experienced cyclists. The difference between the tours is therefore their length and intended format: a half-day on the circular route or a full-day tour for experienced cyclists.
The Raseneisenstein-Radweg – Dörfertour is signposted throughout with blue TOUR signs. It runs mostly through flat, level terrain, has few climbs and generally follows easy-to-ride paths. This information applies to this cycle route and helps give an idea of its terrain.
Church and Nature in Leussow
Leussow also offers attractions of different kinds. The landmark church was built in 1872/73 in the neo-Gothic style, replacing a Romanesque brick building with a wooden tower. The church in Leussow, along with its churchyard and rectory, is considered an attraction for visitors. Those interested in architectural history can explore the neo-Gothic church and its predecessor’s style here.
The Dörchforthsbeck in Leussow was renaturalized with EU funding. Animal and plant species that had already disappeared were able to return. The former bathing area was also included in the renaturalization project; a place was created there that people from the community and beyond can use for recreation and relaxation. Nature is reflected here both in the return of species and in the recreational purpose of the site.
Göhlen is part of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of the River Elbe Landscape in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Together with the traces of iron smelting and the cycling tours described here, this makes it a destination with history, activity and nature at its heart.
More places at the same level: Sülstorf, Alt Krenzlin, Lüblow, Leussow, Warlow, Bresegard Bei Eldena, Rastow and Wöbbelin.
For the overview of the wider area: Amt Ludwigslust-Land.
