リューネブルガーハイデ自然公園の山小屋＆キャビン・トップ17

On the way to or from Wilseder Berg, you'll pass this beehive and learn about bees and their honey from the heath. There's also a stamping station here.

On the way to or from Wilseder Berg you pass this apiary and learn a little about the history of honey in the Lüneburg Heath.

Since the 1870s, every heath farm has had heathland, its own herd of sheep and its own beekeeping. The Bockelmann farm's sheep barn served as a summer barn at the time - the surrounding heathland was grazed from here. The farm's herd of Heidschnucke sheep existed until 1972, as one of the last farms - keeping Heidschnucke sheep became uneconomical. For decades, the sheep barn that "survived" has been a popular photo motif for postcards and photo reports, and is also a listed building. The barn is clearly too small for today's large Heidschnucke herds of the Nature Conservation Park Association (up to 1000 animals) - it is therefore only used as a shelter for agricultural machinery. [Information board on site]

The Hotel Schäferhof Schneverdingen is surrounded by nature between Osterheide and Pietzmoor. The hotel consists of several half-timbered buildings. The restaurant is known beyond the borders of Schneverdingen for its regional cuisine. Source: https://www.lueneburger-heide.de/natur/wohnung/62/naturotel-hotel-schaeferhof-schneverdingen.html#/

There have been beekeepers with their bees in the Lüneburg Heath since the Middle Ages. The harvest of the regional specialty, the heather honey, is very time-consuming and only limited to the 6-8 weeks of the heather blossom. Then the beekeeper must have a place for his bee colonies in the heathland so that the bees can collect the single-variety heather honey. This tastes completely different than other honeys. The difficulty for the beekeepers is feeding the colonies throughout the summer and the laborious processing of the heather honey. This is a tough mass and not as easy to throw as normal honey. So the bees have a lot of work to do when the heather is in bloom. Incidentally, bees and moorland sheep work together unconsciously: the moorland sheep move across the heathland and trample on the spider nests, which would otherwise pose a danger to the bees. From the end of September you can then buy the new harvest of heather honey from the beekeepers in the Lüneburg Heath. Source: https://www.lueneburger-heide.de/natur/artikel/15338/die-heide-bienen-ernten-den-leckeren-heidehonig.html

Nice that there are still beekeepers and that you can taste the result of their work and the work of the bees. The honey is really tasty and the work of the beekeepers is also supported. The bees are an important part of our lives 👍

Nice for children and you can learn something. Stamp house for the Bisspinger hiking pass is right next to it. Good for a little break before climbing up to Wilseder Berg.

Visiting this place when the heather is in bloom is magical! Even when you get closer you can see and above all hear the industrious animals flying in by the thousands from all directions. Tip: Just pause for a while in the approach lane, listen to the humming that seems to come from everywhere, watch the bees and smell the sweet scent of the heather blossoms - simply unforgettable! Then definitely buy a glass of real heather honey to support the beekeepers in their work and of course to save a bit of summer with them in autumn and winter! 🙂👍