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Luneburg Heath Attractions Lüneburger Heide

The beautiful Lüneburg Heath, a ridge of sandy heathland formed from Ice Age deposits of sand, extending between the Aller and lower Weser in the southwest and the Elbe in the northeast, is the largest expanse of heathland in Germany, reaching a height of 169 m/554ft in the Wilseder Berg. The principal rivers draining into the Elbe are the Ilmenau, Luhe, Aue, Seeve, Este and Oste.

Old-time railroads:

The "Ameisenbär" ("Ant-Bear"), from Soltau to the Lüneburg Heath Nature Reserve.

The "Celler-Land-Express", from Celle to the Südheide Nature Park and to Hankensbüttel.

The "Heide-Express", from Lüneburg or Winsen an der Luhe to Soltau.

The "Preussenzug" through the district of Gifhorn.

There are many opportunities for trips on the Lüneburg Heath in old mail coaches or horse-drawn carriages.

The dry and infertile stretches of higher ground, between which lie tracts of bog, are covered for much of their extent by heather, which during the flowering season in August brings a touch of life and color to the rather melancholy landscape. Variety is given by the curiously misshapen juniper bushes, the sandy tracks caught between clumps of birches and the red brick farmhouses nestling amid groups of oak-trees. Numerous "Hunengräber" ("Huns' graves"; megalithic tombs) are a reminder that men lived here in prehistoric times.

The expanse of real heath country has been steadily reduced in recent years. The traditional bee-keeping and the rearing of moorland sheep, which destroyed so many trees, have declined sharply, replaced by forestry, arable farming and industry (mining of diatomite, extraction of oil). The areas on the fringes of the Heath, such as the Aller and Elbe fenlands, are horse-breeding country.
Read More Wilseder Berg
(Lüneburg - Heath Nature Reserve)
Hösseringen Museum Village
Southwest of Holdenstedt in the Lüneburg Heath can be found Hösseringen Museum Village (Lüneburg Heath Farming Museum), with old Heath peasant houses arranged in the form of a village.
Address
Museumsdorf Hösseringen
D-29556 Suderburg-Hösseringen
Germany
Hours
March 15 to October 31
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
OpenClosed10:3010:3010:3010:3010:3010:30
Close 17:3017:3017:3017:3017:3017:30
Schloss Holdenstedt
To the south of Uelzen in the Lüneburg Heath is Schloss Holdenstedt, with a very fine collection of glasses.
Address
Schloss Holdenstedt
Schlosstrasse 4
D-29525 Uelzen
Germany
Hours
March 1 to October 31
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
OpenClosed14:3014:3014:3014:3014:3011:00
Close 17:0017:0017:0017:0017:0017:00
November 1 to December 31
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
OpenClosedClosed14:30ClosedClosed14:3011:00
Close 17:00 17:0017:00
Soltau, Germany
In the center of Lüneburg Heath is Soltau, a popular base from which to explore the Heath. It has many handsome old half-timbered houses.

The main tourist attraction in the Soltau area is the Heide-Park (Heath Park), a leisure and amusement park with a cableway, a Wild West railroad, a water-chute, a Mississippi steamer and a variety of other entertainment and sideshows.
Uelzen, Germany
On the east side of Lüneburg Heath lies the old Hanseatic town of Uelzen (pop. 36,000), which has preserved a number of handsome medieval stone and half-timbered houses. In St Mary's Church (1270) is the "Golden Ship", the emblem of the town.
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