Top 8 Natural Monuments around Bandelin

For several years now, there has been a refuge here for the important little helpers in the landscape of fields and meadows: the wild bees. The hill was pushed up by the agricultural company and is kept clear by the kindergarten group in Guest, because these bees and bumblebees don't like vegetation. They prefer full sun and sand so that they can build breeding tubes and their eggs can develop well. They are therefore typical open land species and live in lean grassland, ruderal areas and fallow land with a corresponding supply of wild flowers. Until 2023, they were able to visit plenty of flowers on the lean meadow or fallow land here. In spring and early summer, on sunny days, you're sure to find a few sand bees to observe. On the other side of the path you can find wild flowers. More information on the board at the other end of the path just before the edge of town. More information about wild bees, including in gardens and parks: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandbienen https://www.deutschland-summt.de/wildbienenarten.html

Behrenhoff was called Busdorf until 1804 and had belonged to the von Behr family since the 14th century. On behalf of Carl Felix Georg von Behr, a two-story, late classicist manor house was built in the 1830s to replace the previous baroque manor house. The architect was possibly Friedrich Hitzig. His widow Louise Wilhelmine Gustava von Heyden had a landscape park created in the 1840s based on the plan of Peter Joseph Lenné.[2] Mechthild Countess von Behr, the last noble owner, was granted lifelong usufruct after her husband's death. She was against the National Socialists. Approached by Albrecht Schönherr, from 1936/1937 it offered accommodation on the estate for Confessing Church events. Bible studies and lectures took place during the so-called free periods. In addition to Schönherr, Eberhard Bethge, Günter Jacob, Volkmar Herntrich and Ernst Lohmeyer, among others, gave lectures. It is unclear whether Dietrich Bonhoeffer actually took part in events in Behrenhoff, as stated several times. On May 8, 1945, the mansion burned down. The ruins were later dismantled to produce building materials for new farms. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landschaftspark_Behrenhoff#Schloss_Behrenhoff

Landscape park with old trees and an eventful history. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landschaftspark_Behrenhoff#Schloss_Behrenhoff The landscape park is around ten hectares in size, the swan pond (former peat pond) in the southern part is three hectares. It extends from the northern edge of the village, where the old farm buildings of the former estate are still located, in a southwesterly direction. It is divided in two by the village street. The area is separated from the street and the historic estate village by a wall, which also includes the cemetery with the Behrenhoffer Church. The entrance to the northern part is dominated by the striking Bärentor, built around 1900. The two plastered pillars have coupled double half-columns at the front and back. They are crowned by bears with heraldic shields. The bear on the left holds the coat of arms of the von Heyden family, the one on the right that of the von Behr family. The park's rich dendrological stock includes a leatherbush tree, two copper beeches, a tulip tree, a red oak with a witch's broom, a multi-stemmed sweet chestnut and a multi-stemmed silver linden tree. There are also several lily magnolias and rhododendrons in the complex. In spring, larger populations of Märzenbecher characterize the park.

The Söllkensee was created in the 19th century by peat extraction in "Küsterbäcks Moor", a meltwater channel of the Greifswald terminal moraine. Today it is a natural monument and spawning ground for common toads and moor frogs. In the north-eastern part, the new siltation process is clearly visible. A cotton grass peat bog has formed here, which is partly forested with downy birches.

The landscape park, which is now a listed building, was laid out between 1840 and 1860 according to plans by the well-known landscape architect Peter Joseph Lenné for the wife of Carl Felix Georg von Behr. The manor house once owned by the von Behr family of landowners was burned down in the final days of the war in 1945.

The Söllkensee is not written "Sölkensee" but "Söllkensee". The Söllkensee is a bog in the Helmshagener Forest. The Söllkensee was created in the 19th century by peat extraction in "Küsterbäcks Moor", a meltwater channel of the Greifswald terminal moraine. Today it is a natural monument and spawning ground for common toads and moor frogs. In the north-eastern part, the new siltation process is clearly visible. A cotton grass peat bog has formed here, which is partly forested with downy birches (bot.: sheath cotton grass peat moss community, Eriophoro-Sphagnetum recurvi). The floating pondweed (Potamogeton natans) can be discovered in the open water area. The name of the Söllkensee is probably derived from the word "Soll", which describes Ice Age dead ice holes in the north German lowlands and was used here in a somewhat broader sense for a small body of water. Originally, the locals called the lake "dat Sülkenmuur" and at the end of the 19th century it developed into an attraction for those seeking relaxation, who traveled especially with the small train from Greifswald. According to legend, an old privy councilor from Charlottenburg walked here. Impressed by the place, he suggested to the owner of the inn in Potthagen that they set up signposts from the village to the lake and thus show the excursionists the beauty of the area. However, according to the legend, the old privy councilor found the name “Sülkenmuur” too daunting and boggy. And so the “Sülkenmuur” became the Sölkensee. Both names – Sölkensee and Söllkensee – are common today. North of the Söllkensee is the Plagens lime tree. It is said that the forest warden Plagens planted this tree in 1933 and built a bench next to it to enjoy his retirement here. Link: https://weithagen.info/naturweit/soellkensee/

The Sölkesee is a natural monument and spawning ground for common toads and moor frogs. The fish species found at the Sölkensee include eels, perch, pike, tench, bream, roach, rudd and crucian carp.

An Os is a mountain wall formed by meltwater during the Ice Age. Due to the terrain profile and the forest, this is a nice change in the landscape.