Penzlin: Old Castle, Museum and Swimming Area
Accommodation in Penzlin
The Old Castle with its museum and the swimming area on Lake Penzlin offer different focal points for a stay in Penzlin.
Old Castle: Museum, Architecture and Guided Tours
The museum in Penzlin’s Old Castle is dedicated to the historical phenomenon of everyday magic, as well as witchcraft and its legal prosecution in Mecklenburg in the Early Modern Period. The subject connects everyday beliefs with cultural and legal history. The focus is therefore not solely on the building, but also on the question of the prosecution of witchcraft in a particular historical period and region.
The architecture also offers tangible points of interest: the knights’ hall in the Old Castle has a Gothic cross-ribbed vault. In this type of vault, the vault sections intersect. The castle’s black kitchen has a 12-meter-high smoke hood. The castle thus features both a distinctive type of vault and a striking architectural dimension.
Knowledgeable guides provide information about the castle’s history and lead visitors through the torture chamber and the witches’ dungeons. If you plan to join a guided tour, check the current dates before your visit. The museum’s subject matter, architectural details and guided tours each give a visit to the castle its own focus.
Swimming Area on Lake Penzlin
The swimming area on Lake Penzlin includes a beach and a sunbathing lawn with a kiosk. This means that, alongside the Old Castle’s cultural and historical themes, spending time by the water is also part of the local experience. When planning your stay, you can weigh these different options separately: the museum and castle on the one hand, and the swimming area with its beach and sunbathing lawn on the other.
Nature and Outdoor Activities in the Wider Mecklenburg Lake District Destination
The wider Mecklenburg Lake District also offers its own nature-related attractions. MĂĽritz National Park is part of this region and is characterized by forests, moors, lakes and expansive meadows. The MĂĽritz National Park Hiking Trail covers the landscape types and distinctive features of the national park in nine stages. Its route runs along lakes, through ancient forests, past inland dunes and to the source of the Havel. The trail takes in a variety of landscapes along the way.
For nature exploration with expert guidance, certified nature and landscape guides offer informative tours through MĂĽritz National Park. These include tours in the Serrahn beech forest, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and tours from the water. The hiking trail and guided tours are different ways to discover the natural attractions of the Mecklenburg Lake District.
Another destination in the wider region is the Damerower Werder European Bison Reserve. It is located on a peninsula in Lake Kölpin, in the Mecklenburg Lake District and Nossentiner/Schwinzer Heath Nature Park. Visitors can observe European bison there. The reserve also has a woodland discovery trail with climbing opportunities, an ant house, an exhibition with tactile and visual panels, and a dendrophone. Wildlife watching and the trail’s various stations offer two different points of interest.
From Neustrelitz town harbor, waterway travelers can explore Müritz National Park and the Strelitz Small Lakes District via the Upper Havel Waterway. Another cultural attraction in the wider region is the Aviation Engineering Museum Rechlin in Rechlin Nord. These regional attractions complement Penzlin’s local highlights with nature, waterways and another museum.
Discover more destinations: Kuckssee, Möllenhagen, Ankershagen.
Go to the overview of the wider region: Amt Penzliner Land.
