The best walks and hikes around Ecklak

The Burger Au is a so-called marsh water body near Burg in Dithmarschen, in the north of Schleswig-Holstein, and runs approximately parallel to the Kiel Canal. In the past, the Burger Au was an important waterway for regional freight transport; on the bank, the so-called Burger Au harbor (later Kattenstieg) was established, where mainly agricultural products and peat from the Kudensee lowlands were transshipped.

The Old Harbor of Burg looks back on a long history. It was once an important transshipment point for shipping in Dithmarschen and shaped life in the town for many decades. Today, the calm lake is reminiscent of the time of sailors and boatmen and makes the past of the place still palpable.

The Old Country Pharmacy on the market square in Burg Dithmarschen is a historical gem with a unique history that lives on today in a museum. The royally privileged pharmacy was originally founded in 1839 in a roughly 200-year-old building on the market square in Burg. The building is often described as picturesque, with blue wooden doors in a white house surrounded by old linden trees. The pharmacy's historical inventory was later closed (the pharmacy itself closed in 2010) and reconstructed as a pharmacy museum on the upper floor of the local history museum, DITMARSIUM (Große Mühlenstraße 6), and opened to the public.

The interior of the ring wall is occupied by the old Burg cemetery. The castle is associated with a legend according to which, in 1145 AD, Count Rudolf of Stade and his wife Walburga were murdered by peasants who had treacherously entered the castle. The old cemetery has been located within the historic ramparts of Bökelnburg since 1818. The graves and cemetery paths are situated within the ring wall. The unique combination of an early medieval defensive structure and a place of final rest makes this cemetery a historically and scenically significant site. The high, tree-covered rampart encircles the cemetery like a natural protective cloak. The only entrance gate of the former castle was probably located on the site of the present-day cemetery chapel.

Bökelnburg Castle and its cemetery form an exceptional and historically significant ensemble in Burg. Bökelnburg is one of the best-preserved early medieval ringforts in Schleswig-Holstein and is considered the namesake of the town of Burg. It was probably built at the end of the 8th or beginning of the 9th century and served as an important defensive fortification and refuge for the Saxon population against raids by Vikings, Slavs, and Franks. It is an impressive earthwork, which still stands approximately six meters high. The site is strategically located on the high edge of the geest (glacial upland), offering a panoramic view across the Wilster marshland and the Kiel Canal. A circular path runs along the top of the rampart, providing beautiful vistas.

Before Burg had a modern central water supply, public wells like the Bauern-Soot (Farmers' Well) were vital for the population, especially for the farmers (hence the name "Bauern-Soot"). 1839/40: A pump was installed. Its use was regulated: Each person received a key to open the lock on the pump handle. 1910: A new wooden pump handle was acquired. 1922: This was replaced by an iron pump.

The Herthateich pond is the ideal place to experience Burg's unusual topography (forest and hills in the heart of Dithmarschen). It combines nature (orchard), culture (open-air stage), and history (Bökelnburg Castle) in a very small area. The Herthateich is located in the center of the health resort of Burg. The area is characterized by a strong contrast to the otherwise rather flat marsh landscape of Dithmarschen. Because Burg lies on the geest (a ridge), the area around the pond is hilly and wooded, giving it an almost fairytale-like, sheltered atmosphere.

This massive viaduct was built in 1920 for the Marsh Railway and, with a length of 210 meters and a height of up to 26 meters, is one of the largest bridge structures in all of Schleswig-Holstein. The viaduct is still in regular use today by the railway line, which connects Kiel and Hamburg, among other cities.