The area of Preetz, near the Baltic Sea, dates back to Prehistoric times and has a few grave hills from around the time of the Bronze Age.
While Preetz in Schleswig-Holstein may be a small town, it’s not small on great things to do here.
The Local History Museum is great at explaining the area since it’s divided into urban history, local handicrafts, and regional archeology.
Preetz’s Monastery dates back to the 13th century when it was built to house young ladies of the nobility back in the 13th century. Originally it housed some 70 nuns. Many of the original buildings were replaced through the years due to quite a number of fires (the last was arson in 1959). Legend tells that one of the large Oaks on the compound comes from the time that the monastery was established, making it almost 700 years old!
The Town Church is about the same age, having been built in 1210, but has many additions and decorations from the following centuries.
Another way to see Preetz is the Shoemaker Eight a.k.a. Schusteracht. It’s a cycling and walking track configured like the figure 8 intersecting right through the middle of town. One track runs approximately 30 km to the northwest and the other running in the opposite direction of southeast for approximately 33 km.
Enjoy time over at Natatorium, with the indoor pool and sauna. There’s a whole aquafitness program including aquajogging and water gymnastics.
Just about everyone loves circuses and Preetz is home to the first Circus Museum in all of Germany. There are plenty of costumes, pictures, and models to make us feel like kids all over again.
What those circus acrobats also use are shoes, and this town has another museum dedicated to these utensils — the Wooden Shoe Museum, housed in an old shoemaker’s workshop. Stop over to see, Mr. Lorenz Hamman, a 5th generation shoemaker.
There are also plenty of local crafts to be found at the annual Craftsman Market (called Kunsthandwerkermarkt), held on the third Sunday in August on the marketplace.
This small town is big on history, sports, and culture (the art museum is filled with works by local artists), and Preetz, also known as the Shoemaker’s Town, is so much more than that!
