The approximately 111 hectare nature reserve is registered under number 152 in the directory of nature reserves of the Ministry for Energy Transition, Agriculture, Environment and Rural Areas. It was designated in 2013 (date of the ordinance: July 15, 2013) and replaces the approximately 31-hectare "Mechower Seeufer" nature reserve designated at the end of 1992. The nature reserve is largely part of the EU bird sanctuary "Schaalsee area" and the FFH area "Forests and lake shore east of Lake Ratzeburg". It borders directly on the "Mechower See" nature reserve in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania to the north-east and on the "Steinerne Rinne und Mechower Holz" nature reserve to the north. In the southeast are the nature reserves "Lankower Seeufer, Grammsee und Surroundings" and "Lankower See". The district Duchy of Lauenburg is responsible for the lower nature conservation authority.
The nature reserve is located north-east of Ratzeburg in the Lauenburg Lakes Nature Park. It is part of the Green Belt along the former inner-German border and protects the western shore area of Lake Mechower and some of the adjacent areas.
In its northern area, the protected area is mainly characterized by a narrow strip of broken forest on the shore of Lake Mechower. In the area directly adjacent to Mechow and the areas to the south-east of Mechow, extensively used grassland areas with tall herb meadows and trees and shrubs near the banks predominate. Southeast of Mechow is a wet area with reed zones and still water in the nature reserve.
Source: Wikipedia