Hike to Wildpark-West

This hike takes you along meadows and lush pastures, next to fields of poppies and cornflowers to the peat bite ponds in Wildpark-West. Former peat cutting ponds are now a paradise for frogs, ducks and a diverse water and pond plant society.

Distance: 9 km
Start/ Finish: Bus stop Schäfereistraße, Geltow
Arrival/Departure: 

• Public transport: Bus 631 (direction Werder/ Havel) to stop Geltow, Schäfereistraße
• Car: Via B1 to Geltow, Schäfereistraße

Sights:

• Peat cutting ponds
• Duck trapping facility
• Wildlife park with historical paths according to Lenné
• Heron colony

Directions: At the Schäfereistraße bus stop, turn right into Meiereistraße and follow it to the street "Am Wildgatter", which formed the boundary of the royal wildlife park until the 19th / 20th century. Cross the street "Am Pappeltor" and you are in a spacious meadow and field landscape with diverse plants, flowers and dragonflies. The road turns left and you come to the road towards Wildpark West, which you follow on the bike path to the right. Before entering the village, turn right into Werderschen Damm. Unfortunately, there is no hiking or walking trail here, so please be careful. To the left and right are the former Geltow meadows, which were peated in the 19th century. The peat cutting ponds provide insights into a beautiful pond landscape with water lilies, reeds and dumbing ducks. To be on the safe side, you should continue along the Havel promenade and turn right into the street "Am Wasserwerk" and then right into the Fuchsweg. The duck trapping facility, which is unique in the Havel area, is unfortunately no longer visible, in the Fuchsweg a display board reminds of this.The duck catcher pond was used at the end of the 17th century to catch wild ducks for the royal table. After the Henning von Treschkow-Kaserne, continue on the cycle path until you turn right on the E10 long-distance hiking trail before the railway bridge. Along the railway tracks, follow the path until you get to the Großer Hirschweg, where you then turn right. The large deer path is lined with old oaks and beeches and leads you around the Schäfereiberg back to Geltow. After the heron colony, turn right into the second outgoing path and you will get back to Meiereistraße.

Possible combinations:

• Hike in and around Geltow
• Wildlife park hike with "Bavarian House"

Maps/Literature: 

• ​KOMPASS Wanderkarte Havelland, 4in1 Wanderkarte, 1:50000 mit Aktiv Guide und Detailkarten inklusive Karte zur offline Verwendung in der KOMPASS-App., ISBN: 978-3-99044-255-5, Verlagsnummer: WK 745’
• Grünes Herz: Rad-, Wander- und Gewässerkarte Havelseen 3: Werder, Potsdam: Mit Fahrland, Glindow, Geltow, Caputh, Ferch, Michendorf. Maßstab 1:35.000. ISBN: 978-3-86636-116-4