The best hikes from bus stations around Linau

The information panel explains everything you need to know about the Hahnheider Forst nature reserve. However, next time I would plan the tour slightly differently and not start at the marked spot, but at the larger parking lot a little further along the route.

In 1230, the Slavic settlement was first mentioned in the Ratzeburg tithe register as Linowe or Lynowe. The place name goes back to Old Polabian *Linov and is a combination of *lin "tench" and the possessive suffix -ov and means settlement near the tench. Linau is of Slavic origin and lies on the "Limes Saxoniae", the former border between Saxons and Slavs, which enters the administrative area here. According to historical research, it can be assumed that the then "Lynowe" existed as a settlement much earlier. Linau Castle was destroyed in 1291, and the second castle in 1349. The remains of the castle complex are now more clearly visible again, as the foundation of the complex was restored as authentically as possible in a very complex operation in cooperation with the State Archaeological Office. The complex thus gives visitors an idea of its former importance. It is the only castle ruin of its kind in southern Holstein. Linau is located on the edge of the Hahnheide nature reserve and local recreation area, directly on the district border with Stormarn. The community had 543 inhabitants in 1939. After the unspeakable war, there were 1031. Many of them have accepted the community as their new home. Linau has an intact, diverse club life, including a motivated volunteer fire department. This is not least and especially due to the initiative of the Linauers. https://gemeinde-linau.de/unser-dorf/ https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linau

The wooden bridge leads over the still very young Bille to the castle ruins.

A lot of asphalt surrounds the well-kept small complex for the dead soldiers of both world wars. The relatively young tree, probably a linden tree, has an unusual location; it stands in the middle of the path to the memorial stone. The complex is surrounded on three sides by strong, dark wooden posts, which are connected by an iron chain. You enter the complex through a double-winged galvanized gate. The path is paved with "cat's head" stones, it splits in front of the tree and leads around it. The roots of the tree lift the stones irregularly. The curved retaining wall of the raised, densely planted area stretches across the entire width of the property. The path paving widens up to the retaining wall, which was assembled from boulders and field stones of different sizes and connected with mortar. The central memorial stone is a well-formed, light-colored, almost triangular boulder. A large Iron Cross was carved in outline at the top and painted black. The military badge of honor is awarded posthumously to soldiers here in Linau. A cast-iron plate was set into the stone below. The inscription in the wide frame reads: To our fallen 1914 – 1918 1939 – 1945 The years of the world wars are decorated with crossed oak branches with acorns. The plaque was made after 1945, the years of World War II are not an addition to the old plate for World War I. The names of the dead soldiers are recorded on the war memorial in Sandesneben. The war memorial is illuminated in the dark. The gate is richly decorated. The struts are decorated with different patterns and curved double hearts. The coat of arms of Linau was attached to the wider wing. https://www.denk-mal-gegen-krieg.de/kriegerdenkmaeler/schleswig-holstein-l/

Cozy pine forest

These are abandoned explosives bunkers from the Cold War era. Each one could contain up to 5 tons of explosives, secured behind 3 to 4 armored doors. These depots were not guarded but were checked regularly. The military strategy at the time was to delay the advance of an invading enemy as effectively as possible. The most common barriers were blast shafts, which were set into strategically important roads and bridges during construction. The initially empty shafts could be filled with explosives from such depot bunkers, which were always located nearby, in a very short time. This meant that the road or bridge could be blown up and made impassable "if necessary". Up until the 1990s, there were around 6,000 barriers prepared in this way throughout West Germany. Since then, these barriers have been abandoned and in many places have already been dismantled.

Easily accessible by bike, nice quiet ride, unfortunately all closed

Several idyllic, dammed ponds in the forest in the northwest of the Hahnheide, together with the remains of the dam, are important medieval elements of the historical cultural landscape in Stormarn. https://www.stormarnlexikon.de/dorfcrumbeke/1228