In front of you lies one of the largest inland dunes in Germany: the Waltersberge. At their highest point they tower over Lake Storkower at almost 33 meters. So you have a beautiful panoramic view of the region even without a viewing tower.
They were created at the end of the last ice age around 14,000 years ago. Fine-grained sand was blown out by the wind from the large valley sand areas that were still free of vegetation at the time and deposited on obstacles close to the ground. This is how the Storkow dunes were created on an area of 16 hectares.
The slopes of the Waltersberge were used as vineyards early on. In 1735, around 6.6 hectares of wine were grown, resulting in around 8 barrels of wine. With the increase in forestry use and long-distance trade, the vineyard gradually disappeared.
From 1906 to 1943/44 there was a sand-lime brick factory here. The sand required was mined from the former vineyard, parallel to Reichenwalder Straße. Around 75,000 cubic meters of sand were mined annually in the early days. The limestone came from Rüdersdorf by barge and the stones produced were transported to Berlin by water. The factory had its own shipping company with 3 steam tugs and 18 Finowmaß barges. The factory also had its own wire-drawing shop, which was converted into a sewing machine factory in 1929.
Only a small part of the area designated as a nature reserve in 1990 is free of trees. In these valuable open areas, dry and lichen grasslands have been preserved, as they probably characterized the area after the ice masses retreated. Numerous plants that have become rare grow on the southern slopes, such as the blue-green iridescent grass (Koeleria glauca), the catchfly (Silene otites) and the sand thyme (Thymus serpyllum).