Dutch Windmill Benz & Kückelsberg tour - A hike at the lakes of Usedom

To the west of the three Imperial Baths named Heringsdorf, Ahlbeck, and Bansin are four lakes: Gothensee, Großer Krebssee, Kleiner Krebssee and Schmollensee. A hike along the lakes in the beautiful landscape is definitely worthwhile if you want to discover the surroundings. The hike's highlight is the over 200 years old Dutch Windmill in Benz, which you can visit.

The starting point of this hike is the Hotel am Gothensee, where I stayed during my trip to Germany. It is in a quiet location nearby the lake, and many hiking and cycling trails start there. The hotel has also taken various measures to protect the environment. You can find more details about the trip and the hotel in my article about Usedom, which you find here. As this is a circular hike, you can also choose a different starting point.

The hike starts at the hotel and leads along the Gothenweg. If you follow this way, you will pass two friendly ponies if you are lucky. There's also a beautiful view of the Gothensee - a nature reserve. Go straight ahead and do not turn off until you reach a road. There you turn left.

Follow the road until you come to a crossroads, where a sign points to Sellin and Neu Sallenthin. Turn right and briefly pass through the residential area around the lake. A narrow and inconspicuous path branches off to the left. I enjoyed walking by the beautiful surroundings. Follow this overgrown path. After a while, you catch your first glimpse of the Großer Krebssee.

The path leads to the left into the forest. You move along the lake and come across small forks which take you to the water. You can follow them and enjoy the beautiful lake for a while. The ground is sandy, and it almost feels like you are at the seaside - only the water is calmer.

Großer Krebssee

Now follow the sandy path through the forest in the direction of Sellin. Along the way, a sign points to the Dutch Windmill Benz, which you follow. On the right side, you can catch a glimpse of the Schmollensee.

My highlight in this area was definitely the little black cat that moved silently through the bushes like a panther and that I was happily allowed to meet. I stayed a while to say hello as the cat was so lovely.

You finally reach Sellin, a municipality in the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald. The path passes several houses, including the Haus am Schmollensee, marked as such. You come across a camping site, from where a sign points to the left towards Benz. You later follow the white trail markings and soon pass a horse pasture, from where it does not take long until you reach the windmill.

Keep to the right until the forest thins out, then follow a path made of concrete slabs. Over Fritz-Behn Street, you reach Labömitzer Street, past an artistically painted house that I was deeply impressed by, as it beautifully shows the beach, an old fisher boat, and two flying gulls at sunrise. You get to a large sign pointing to the Benz riding facility. Next to it, a sign points in the same direction at windmill Benz.

You follow the signs and finally reach the Dutch Windmill Benz. For a small fee, which goes towards preserving the over 200-year-old mill that is one of the last two windmills in Usedom, you can visit it from the inside. In addition, the bakery & café next to it, which is open from April to October, offers delicious homemade cakes and drinks, and there are lavatory rooms. When you buy something, you support the voluntary preservation of the windmill, and I have to say that the cake tastes fantastic, especially with this amazing view.

Dutch Windmill Benz 

Once you have taken a break and admired the windmill, you can make your way back. I chose the Mühlenweg behind the windmill. You turn right again onto Fritz-Behn-Street and then onto Labömitzer Street, but this time you go past the sign pointing to the mill and keep going in the direction of Kückelsberg.

Via Kückelsberg, you finally come to Ihlenfeldstreet, which you first follow straight ahead. Once you have passed the pond, turn left onto Steinstreet and keep left until you reach a small crossroads. Turn right here and then take the 2nd path on the left.

Follow the sandy path across a road which it crosses. Then you come to a fork in the way from where you have two options, as both ways meet again later. If you go to the right, you pass the Victoria-Höhe, which got its name after the Prussian Crown Princess Victoria. You need to pass the traffic barrier to get there. Because of that, I chose the left and somewhat longer path, although I guess the right one would have been more interesting. However, you can get past the sign about the Victoria-Höhe by taking the longer way.

You pass the Kleiner Krebssee. Then you keep to the right at the fork in the street and turn left at the next road. Follow this road back to the crossroads from which you came. Here you follow the road to the right until you reach Gothenweg. Via this way, you finally return to the hotel.

Kleiner Krebssee

To conclude, I found the hike a bit strenuous despite fewer metres in altitude, but the views and the cake at the windmill were definitely worth it. Usedom is a place full of history and beautiful landscapes.

Persistence guarantees that results are inevitable. - Paramahansa Yogananda

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