The best walks and hikes around Groß Vollstedt

Great that you can catch a glimpse of the lake again and again, that's not the case so often with all lake circumnavigations.

The United Kingdom has the most oaks of this size, with a total of ten, followed by Germany with five, and Denmark and Sweden with three each. The thickest oak in Europe is the Kvilleken in Sweden, with a circumference of 14.75 meters. Some European countries do not have oaks of this size. For example, the thickest oak in Lithuania has a circumference of 9.35 meters, in Romania 9.30 meters, in Switzerland 8.90 meters, in Estonia 8.25 meters, in the Netherlands 7.97 meters, and in Austria 7.25 meters. The age of the Kongeegen in Denmark, the oldest oak in Europe, is estimated at between 1400 and 2000 years.[2][3] Additionally listed are three oaks that are just below the limit, but are interesting for the reasons described.

Hasensee is a lake in the Rendsburg-Eckernförde district in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. It is located east of the municipality of Emkendorf and covers approximately 5 hectares. The lake is integrated into the park of Emkendorf Estate.

At the end of World War II, war refugees were housed in the manor house, and after the surrender on May 8, 1945, a British garrison moved into the buildings. Today, the manor house is privately owned. It has been extensively restored and is known for its concerts, including those held as part of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival.

After the death of Friedrich and Julia Reventlow, who were childless themselves, their adopted son, Joseph Graf von Reventlow-Criminil Emkendorf, inherited the estate. With brief interruptions, the estate was owned by the Reventlow family from 1764 to 1929. After the death of Adolf Cécil Graf von Reventlow-Criminil (1861–1927), it had to be sold in 1929 due to excessive debt. The buyers were the family of Dr. Curt and Carl Heinrich, publishers of the Kieler Nachrichten (Kiel News). It was arguably the largest estate in Schleswig-Holstein[2] and was responsible for the administration of many surrounding villages, farms, and lakes. Until its takeover by Prussia in 1867, the estate also served as a patrimonial court.

Here, Julia Reventlow hosted numerous famous figures of the era, including Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock, Matthias Claudius and Johann Caspar Lavater, and Friedrich Leopold zu Stolberg-Stolberg. These debating circles, known as the Emkendorf Circle, earned the estate the nickname "Weimar of the North." During the French Revolution, numerous French noblemen found refuge on the estate, including La Fayette.

The village of Emkendorf fell into ruin during the Thirty Years' War. The lands were confiscated by the estate of the same name, which already existed at that time.[1] After 1743, when the estate belonged to Jean Henri Desmercières, the manor house was completed, which had been begun around 1730 under his predecessor, the Hanoverian Field Marshal Cuno Josua von Bülow. In 1745, Desmercières received King Frederick V there. He later sold the estate to Detlev von Reventlow, who bequeathed it to his son Friedrich Karl Reventlow in 1783. Reventlow had been married to Julia, the daughter of the Danish treasurer Heinrich Schimmelmann, since 1779. Schimmelmann had become wealthy through the Atlantic triangular trade. At his death in 1782, his children each inherited a fifth of the annual profits from the Caribbean sugar plantations, generated by slaves. The couple used this money, among other things, to enrich their estate.

Emkendorf Estate is located in Schleswig-Holstein, in the municipality of Emkendorf in the Rendsburg-Eckernförde district. It is a strictly symmetrically designed farm complex. In addition to the manor house, several farm buildings and other outbuildings have been preserved. The extensive English-style landscaped park includes Lake Hasensee, which was formerly connected to Lake Westensee. A 250-year-old avenue of linden and chestnut trees borders the estate grounds to the south. It is part of the old highway from Kiel to Rendsburg and has been protected as a natural monument since 1936.