Surroundings
The road ends in Rutenberg. From here you can go either right or left along the old Dorfstrasse, bordered by lime trees. At the crossroads is a park with large chestnut trees and a fieldstone church from the twelfth century. Behind it are three brick buildings: the Re:hof Rutenberg.
Our 2 ha premises lie in the middle of the village, but since they are set back somewhat, they appear like a little village within the village. The Uckermark Lakes Nature Park begins here, with its sprawling woods, meadows, fields and lakes – a typical end moraine landscape.
One of the clearest lakes in this region is the large Kronsee, which is situated at the end of the village: 1.5km long and 30m deep, with its own spring. From our location it takes five minutes on foot to reach a small sandy beach where you can dive into the glass-clear water. Even in the high season it isn’t overcrowded here: there are simply so many lakes in the area.
Rutenberg is a small village with a population of around 220, a pleasant mixture of long-term inhabitants, recently arrived young families and others seeking a fresh start, such as carpenters, architects and artists who have started building new lives in the old buildings that were mainly used for agriculture. The original character of the village has hence been well preserved. There are also farmers living in the village.
It is often very quiet here and the air is very clear. The wind subsides in the evening and the street lights go out at 11 pm. When there are no clouds in the sky it becomes so dark that even the smallest stars are visible to the naked eye.
In winter, the trails in the snow show that Rutenberg is also populated by other creatures at night. Deer, wild boar, hares, foxes, badgers and raccoons come up to house doors on the lookout for something to eat.
