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Carwitz erratic boulder garden

Carwitz erratic boulder garden
It's easy to see that the Feldberg lake district was shaped by the Ice Age. However, just before Carwitz, near the border between Mecklenburg and Brandenburg, you can see something very special: a stone mammoth. Here, committed citizens have prevented an open-cast gravel mine from being built and a boulder garden has now been created in its place. Southwest of Carwitz, an open-cast gravel mine was once planned due to the amount of sand brought here by the last ice age. The sandy areas at the end of the glacial series are predestined for this and it would not have been the first in the area. However, citizens' initiatives from both federal states were able to successfully oppose the open-cast mine and have erected an erratic boulder garden on the designated site. The largest specimen is a 20-ton boulder, which from now on will act as a "guardian" over the weal and woe of the local landscape. Other boulders trace the outline of a mammoth. The origin of the boulders is explained on various information boards. The erratic boulder garden is one of many projects designed to give interested visitors an understanding of the effects of the Ice Age on the landscape. The members of the association Aufbruch Carwitz-Thomsdorf e. V. have taken on the task of designing the erratic boulder garden.

Findling Garden Carwitz - Ice Age witnesses in the Feldberg Lakeland

The Carwitz erratic boulder garden is located southwest of the village of the same name in the Feldberg Lakeland, close to the border between Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg. Anyone familiar with the glacial landscape of this region - similar to the coastal areas around Rügen or Fischland-Darß-Zingst - will quickly understand why mighty erratic boulders protrude from the earth here. The largest specimen weighs a proud 20 tons and has since been referred to as the "guardian" of the landscape.

Stone mammoth - citizens' initiative prevents open-cast gravel mining

Originally, the site was intended for open-cast gravel mining, as the outwash areas at the end of the glacial series are rich in glacial material. However, citizens' initiatives from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg were able to successfully prevent this. Instead, an erratic boulder garden was created on the site of the planned open-cast mine, whose boulders together trace the outline of a mammoth - an impressive image that shows visitors the power of the last ice age.

Information boards and association work in the Carwitz erratic boulder garden

Multiple information boards explain the geological origin of the erratic blocks and place the site in the wider context of the Ice Age. The erratic boulder garden is designed and maintained by the association Aufbruch Carwitz-Thomsdorf e. V., which has set itself the task of giving interested parties an understanding of the landscape-shaping effects of the Ice Age on the region. The erratic boulder garden is therefore an educational and quiet place that brings the natural history of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern to life in an unusual way.