The best family-friendly hikes and walks around Müssen

In Müssen, some specimens of the stone louse (Petrophaga lorioti), which fortunately for homeowners has become extremely rare, have obviously found a new home. Unfortunately, they cannot be seen with the naked eye, but they have left clear traces on the walls and nibbled on several bricks. They seem to particularly like this type of stone. It must be a special mixture. If they feel comfortable here and multiply, it will probably only be a matter of time before they have plastered the entire building. 😉 You can find more detailed information about the stone louse here: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steinlaus

The Müssen Volunteer Fire Department has been an important and valuable part of the Müssen community for over 90 years. With currently 43 motivated and well-trained active members and state-of-the-art technical equipment, the Müssen Volunteer Fire Department is always ready in the event of an alarm. The core tasks are: extinguishing, rescuing, recovering, protecting, and averting dangers to people, animals, and the environment. We also see our role in the area of "preventive fire protection and fire safety education" at the school, in the kindergarten and playgroup, as well as in other public institutions. We are also culturally active and annually host our traditional Easter bonfire by the lake. We also organize internal events such as an outing and a camaraderie evening, as well as prize skat and puzzle games. Are you at least 16 years old, physically fit and healthy, and interested in good camaraderie and community, as well as technical equipment, or simply interested in helping? Then feel free to contact us at one of our duty evenings or directly with Fire Chief Ingwer Paulsen or his deputy Jan-Christoph Dröse. https://gemeinde-muessen.online/freizeit/freiwillige-feuerwehr

In the center of the town, surrounded by the old and new schools, the fire station, the sports field and the shooting club, on a small hill is the "Müssener Erratic". Hardly any visitor to Müssen fails to visit this impressive relic from the early days of earth's history and linger reverently in its shade. This place was already considered a place of worship around 4500 years ago, at the time of the first settlement by the Musseken, a Germanic tribe who settled in the area north of the Elbe between 5300 and 4000 BC. The Musseken believed that the stone was torn from the depths of the earth by the Nordic god of thunder Thor in a dispute with a giant in order to hurl it at his head, but missed him and remained lying in this place. So the meetings of the village elders were held at this stone and justice was dispensed. Young couples were married under the stone, cult festivals were celebrated and evil spirits were banished. Recent excavations have revealed that, contrary to what was previously assumed, the Musseken already had a strong sense of community and were able to milk a cow. Even in our century, the stone has lost none of its significance for the people living near it and many customs from the distant past have left their mark to this day. For example, every year at the summer solstice, the mayor gives his annual address to the citizens of Müssen from the stone. Things get more unbridled in late summer during the fertility ceremonies, when the stone is the center of extravagant festivities. Such pagan activities do not appeal to every citizen of Müssen, and so there are people who vehemently claim that the stone was only brought here a few years ago in a heavy-duty transporter and has not been the center of all previous settlements for thousands of years. But that probably belongs more to the realm of fairy tales and legends. https://gemeinde-muessen.online/unser-dorf/findling

When I walked past here today, I was surprised at the strange stones along the way, but then didn't pay any more attention to them. Only when I got home did I see in the Komoot map that they had already been set as a highlight by FORESTJRG and what their purpose was. Learned something again. A prayer wheel is also called a mani-mill or mani-wheel and is a roller or wheel containing a roll of paper. Prayers or mantras are printed on this paper roll. The prayer wheels are often elaborately decorated with prayers. Prayer wheels come in different sizes. Especially in the Himalayan states of India, Nepal, Tibet and the Kingdom of Bhutan, the paths are often lined with man-high prayer wheels. Many of these large mills can be found at stupas or temples and housed in colorfully decorated cottages. According to Buddhist belief, moving them by hand is good luck. Some prayer wheels are also powered by the power of wind or water. In addition to the larger mills, small hand mills are also very popular. https://www.bhutan-rundreisen.com/bhutan-blog/gebetsmuehlen/ https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%BCssen

Pretty church with a nice forecourt, worth a stop.

Small wooden bridge over the Steinau in beautiful nature.

I really enjoyed this tour: Lüneburg, Lauenburg, Büchen, Mölln 2022_02_25 bv https://www.komoot.de/tour/684324466

Here on the southern shore of Lake Müssen there is a small free sandy beach where people and animals can cool off in the shallow water.