I’ve said before that I often look at a town’s attractions (known as Sehenswürdigkeiten in German) to figure a game plan, as to what to see or do first. Tarp here up in the North didn’t make it so easy for me — I had to really work for my dinner.
Oh, I’m not complaining, Tarp’s location kept me quite happy. And it’s all right that this town isn’t overrun with a bazillion churches, a slew of castles, or too much of anything — except tall trees, wide open spaces, and friendly faces.
See, I’m no way complaining. ;-)
The first place to go is the Eulenwanderpfad, a six kilometer trail full of sculptures, known as the Owl Trail. Its starting point is at the local cemetery, making it easy enough to find.
And while you’re outside, come see the Arnkielpark — an outdoor archaeological site of megalithic graves that are more than 5,000 years old. There’s also a Boulder Garden, a unique variation of a personal rock garden, with some 72-stones.
Sounds good so far, yes? As nice as all this is, it is the Dutch Gallery Windmill (from the 1880s) that gets the honor of being Tarp’s landmark.
This town is part of Amt Oeversee, a collective municipality that lies along the Oxen Trail — a scenic route these days detailing an old cattle drive route dating back to Viking days.
The Vikings didn’t have all the creature comforts Tarp has today, places like the outdoor Community swimming pool. Day passes are available for only a few Euro, and it’s another way of enjoying northern Germany from May to September. Hey, it gets cold up here near Denmark, ya know?
Speaking of Denmark, in the 1860s the German-Danish War was being waged on these lands — and a memorial marks the spot of a battle fought here in 1864. Hard to imagine in this quiet nature reserve area, isn’t it?
What’s great about Tarp is guided tours are available at specific times, so you’ll get someone who’s really “in the know” to explain all of the town’s remarkable places much better than I ever could.
I might’ve had to work for my dinner here in Tarp, but it was truly worth it.
