The best hikes from bus stations around Griebeler Lake

Pretty gorge formed by historic meltwater

Beautiful view all the way to Lübeck.

Here, on the eastern shore of Lake Eutin, not only are kingfishers known to be found, but this is also the best swimming spot. It is distinguished by its sunny location, secluded from the hiking trail at the end of a dead-end path, and offers a comfortable bench for swimming. It also makes a lovely, secluded picnic spot.

With a lot of luck you might see one

The weeping willow is a species of plant in the willow family. It is also known as the Chinese weeping willow, after its origin, or the Babylonian weeping willow, after its botanical name.

Kingfishers can reach flight speeds of up to 90 km/h? ...the kingfisher is a quarrelsome loner outside of the breeding season? ...it digs its nesting burrows up to one meter deep into steep cliffs? ...the sexes of kingfishers can only be distinguished by the color of their beaks? (Males are black, while females have a black upper beak and a light orange-red lower beak) ...the oldest kingfisher, verified by ringing, lived to be ten years old?

The kingfisher finds plenty of near-natural flowing and still waters. These are characterized by riparian vegetation with suitable perching opportunities, clear water with a good population of small fish, and steep banks suitable for breeding. In the nature park, the kingfisher likes to breed in the root plates of recently fallen trees, partly because of the lack of steep banks. The Kingfisher Project Group estimates the kingfisher population in Schleswig-Holstein at around 200 pairs. At least one quarter of the breeding areas are in the Holstein Switzerland Nature Park. Breeding pairs have been observed, for example, in the Kossau catchment area (8 pairs, Dr. Wolfgang Stehle), on the Schwentine between Lake Plön and Wahlstorf (3 pairs, Wilfried Stender), on the Great Plön Lake (at least 3 pairs, Wilfried Stender), and on the Great Eutin Lake (Jürgen Krostitz). Kingfishers are also regularly sighted on the Trave River, the Tensfelder Au, and on Lake Warder.

The kingfisher enchants observers with the symphony of colors in its plumage, and is therefore often referred to as a "flying gem" or "flying diamond." The unusually bright coloring of the kingfisher's plumage for Northern Europe has long captured the imagination. According to an old legend, the kingfisher was an inconspicuous gray before the Flood. But as it hastily left Noah's Ark, it is said to have landed with its back to the sky, and at the same time, its belly feathers were singed by the setting sun. Most of the time, it is only seen flying by, its turquoise-blue back flashing. It calls out a harsh "zii" or "zrii." It flies very quickly, with whirring wingbeats, close to the water, interrupted by short glides. Well-nourished kingfishers weigh around 40 grams. They are only slightly larger than a sparrow.