Introduction
This is a relatively long walk through the ancient farming villages of Bockhorn, Krelingen, and Düshorn. The villages are within a triangular area, bounded to the south by an imaginary line linking Walsrode to Bad Fallingbostel, the Autobahn A27 to Bremen, and the A7 to Hamburg. They lie to the east of the NATO training area in the Lüneburg Heide.
Allow seven hours for your walk, as you traverse high heath land and open fields growing cereals and rape seed, and explore the old farms and historical monuments of the three farming communities. A series of wonderfully decorated 17—19th century grave stones in the church yard of Düshorn is well worth visiting.
The walk is marked on the ground by three consecutive route markers: the snail, the deer, and the six pointed star. As these are not always visible, it is prudent to take along a good map, such as the Kombi Bad Fallingbostel 1:25000, to help you navigate your way.
Bad Fallingbostel Marktkauf to Bockhorn
The walk starts in Bad Fallingbostel's industrial park on Bockhorner Weg, just outside McDonald's and Marktkauf. Walk towards the giant Michelin Tyre at Bockhorner Weg 11, where three smiling Michelin men wave you on your way. The Michelin Tyre Works have been operating in Bad Fallingbostel since early 1993. Follow the curve of the road past Pulver Beschichtung Sand Strahlen, a building company for sand blasting and wall coatings. Ignore the paved road on your right, but make a note of it, as your return journey will bring you up this road. Diagonally to your left, just beyond a muddy path is the first snail trail marker nailed on to an oak tree.
Take the path to the left of the road. Woodland full of oak provides a haven for deer, and separates you from the A7 Autobahn. This comes into view to your left, as your walk alternates between open spaces and conifer plantations. Fields growing cereals and rape seed separate the southern edge of Bad Fallingbostel from Bockhorn. After about 3 km you reach the outskirts of the village.
Bockhorn
As soon as you enter Bockhorn, turn left. After about 250 meters, turn right at the crossroad. A large thatched barn stands besides a pond in the grounds of a farm. This was built in 1838 by Heinrich Köhne and Anna Engel, born Küster. Just past the barn is the courtyard leading to the entrance of the farm.
Seven round shooting targets, which have lost any decoration they once had, are displayed above the main green gate. An inscription runs along the southern aspect of this timber framed hall farm. It reads:
Bless me Lord and all that I have and grant me your blessing. Bless the fruit of my work. Bless my cattle. Bless my house and farm yard now and then. House Master Eggers.
From Köhne Farm walk to the cross roads and the village centre.
Bockhorn is a village of about 300 people. The origin of its name is shrouded in history, but it probably stood for a clearing at the edge of a beech forest. Old oak and beech trees still shape the surrounding landscape. A settlement existed here in the ice age, as evident from the unearthing of graves during the construction of the A7 Autobahn.
Bockhorn was first mentioned in 1237. The archives record that Edelmann, of the family Von Hodenberg, was bequeathed a farm by Ludolf Von Bockhorn of the parish of Walsrode. Originally, Bockhorn fell under the diocese of Minden, but later became part of the Duchy of Lüneburg. From 1489 till 22 July 1529, it was administered by the Walsrode Cloisters. In 1529, during the Reformation, the Cloisters were dissolved by Duke Ernst den Bekennern of Lüneburg (1497–1546).
At the beginning of the 16th century Bockhorn had seven farms: Hofstellen, Helkenhof, Brandeshof, Eilershof, Benenhof, Wienernhof, Diershof, and Finkenhof. Later on Hof Diel also belonged to Bockhorn but this is now within an enclosed military area.
In 1806 Napoleon defeated the Prussians at Jena and Auerstedt. Prussia lost territory to the west of the Elbe which became incorporated in the new Kingdom of Westphalia under Napoleon's brother, Jerome. In 1810, Bockhorn was administered by the Kingdom of Westphalia, Department of the Aller, District of Celle, Canton of Fallingbostel. After the expulsion of the French, following the Battle of Liepzig of October 1813, Bockhorn became part of the Kingdom of Hannover.
From Köhne Farm walk to the crossroad and the village centre. An information board with a brief history of the village, and the Bockhorn Clock, stand at the intersection. A route sign points the way towards Krelingen, while a snail route marker appears on a beech tree on the other side of road. The Bockhorn Clock accurately marks time at the start of the way to Krelingen.
The Bockhorn Clock was constructed in the late 1940s, at the Internment Camp Oerbke. At the end of the Second World War suspected members of the NSDAP were held at the former Stalag 357 during the denazification process.
The clock was acquired by the municipality of Bockhorn in 1953, and was first described in the Bockhorner School chronicle of 1954. It stood in the church tower for 40 years. It was restored in 1994, and on 07 September 1997 it proudly took its place at the village cross roads.
Turn left at the clock, and walk past the bus stop shelter in the direction of Krelingen. After about 50 metres the road curves to the right, towards Hohe Heide. The Village Cemetery is 500 meters down this road. In the forest outside the cemetery gate is a memorial for German soldiers of the First and Second World War who fell on the Eastern Front. The memorial was opened in 1948.
Ignore this short detour if you do not wish to visit the War Memorial. Instead, from the Bockhorn Clock turn left, and continue down the road. This changes into a path which heads past a semi derelict barn into a field. Enjoy the open space provided by cereal fields on either side of the path.
Bockhorn to Kreglingen
The path towards Krelingen initially traverses open space for about 750 meters. Cereal fields are to your left and a row of trees separate the path from yet more fields on the right. It then reaches the edge of a woodland with a mixture of oak and a row of Wild Wisteria, with clusters of white flowers and brown seed pods lining the path. Emerge into a clearing with a cross path. Take the left turn and walk through a field for 125 metres to reach the path marked by a snail marker on the Kombi Bad Fallingbostel 1:25000 map. This route marker is conspicuous by its absence, but will reappear once you reach Krelingen. Walk on for just under one and a half kilometres to reach the old farms on the outskirts of Krelingen.
Krelingen is made up of the village of Krelingen, and the farmsteads of Harmsheide, Krusenhausen und Krelinger Bruch. These had about 800 inhabitants and up to 1974 formed one separate community. The flowers of the heather in the surrounding Krelingen Heath are in bloom from mid August to September.
Krelingen
Head down the Am Bockhorn road. A brook flows to your left, and separates farm number 16 from the road. An inscription above the portal states that the farm was built in 1921, by Wilhelm Cohrs and Minna Cohrs, born Plesse. The Gothic lettering above the green painted gate implores God to preserve the house from calamities and perils. As you follow the brook notice an old Treppenspeicher, stairway storehouse, in the grounds of the farm.
Treppenspeicher were storage barns. They date from the late 18th century. The lower floor was entered through two side doors, which had the name of the farm owners inscribed above them. Treppenspeicher were used for storage of beekeeping equipment, honey, flax working tools, and smoked meat. The upper floor was reached by an external staircase, and used for the storage of corn.
The road traverses the brook and skirts farm number 15. This is another timber framed long hall farm typical of the farms of Lower Saxony. The front has a covered doorway. The road ends at a corner farm on the left side of the road. Outside the perimeter fence is a boulder with an arrow pointing the way to a steingrab or megalithic grave. The snail route marker reappears on a green painted pole in the grounds of the farm, just over the fence.
Before walking down Am Bockhorn into Burnplatz and the centre of Krelingen, take a detour up Fahrenholzer Weg to visit the megalithic grave. More farms line the route towards the steingrab. In Spring and Summer, the forest edge near the site has large ants' nests. After about 300 meters a green pole with green Gothic letters on a yellow arrow, points you to an opening in the forest and the grave.
The megalithic grave in the forest clearing was built by the people of the late stone age who settled in farming communities in the north German Plain. Their culture was known as the Funnel beaker Culture. This was the dominant North Central European culture of the late Neolithic. The Funnel beaker Culture takes its name from the characteristic pottery with funnel shaped tops. Its variant in North Germany was the Trichterbecher culture, (4000–2700 BCE).
People of the Trichterbecher Culture of North Germany built monumental passage graves, and dulmens as burial places for their chieftans. Passage graves were located in mounds and covered with earth or turf as shown in the model. Not far from Krelingen, about 19 km south east of Bad Fallingbostel, are five graves, the so called Sieben Steinhäuser, which date to 2500 BCE. These were erected by the same people who constructed the grave at Krelingen. Access to the Sieben Steinhäuser is restricted to weekends only, as they lie within the restricted military training area.
From the megalithic grave retrace your steps down Fahrnenholzer Weg, back into Am Bockhorn, and turn left into Burnplatz. Follow the priority road to the right and walk the length of the road until you reach Krelingen's information board. Along the road you pass Henrich Eggers farm from 1803. On the left side of the road are a number of early 20th century houses. House number 57 has three well preserved Schützen-König target boards. The Capercaillie target board dates from 1931, whereas the one depicting a deer dates from 1956.
Schützen-König target shields are commonly seen affixed to the front of houses in this part of Germany. They derive from the Schützenfest or shooting festivals which are competitions of marksmanship among the members of the local shooting club. The winners are crowned King (king of marksmen) for the year and affix the shooting target to their homes. The Schützenfest in Hannover is the largest of its kind in the world. For ten days the city's Schützenplatz turns into a huge stage for the festivities with stalls, beer tents, food marquees and fair rides. The highlight is the riflemen's parade with over 5000 participants, 100 bands, and a 12 km procession.
A short distance further on is house number 40. This is a timber framed brick house built by Gustav Heitmann and Martha Heitmann, born Abenreih between 1909 and 1939. Above the main door is an interesting oak panel. In the centre is a sun in all its glory, which is overlaid with a compass between whose arms lie two crossed axes and a scroll. On either side of the central curving is an inscription embraced by the arms of an oak branch laid in the shape of an L. This says: "To work and to strive is God's bidding. Work is life. Idleness is death". From here make your way to the information board which gives a brief history of Krelingen and the heath.
Krelingen to Düshorn
At the information board proceed along the priority road, but ignore the turn of the road towards Düshorn. Instead cross the road and head towards Cafe Schröder. Walk by the roof tiling merchant Kammholz Dachdeckermeister and veer to the left at the Y junction, where another snail route marker is fixed to a tree. From here walk in an almost straight line through forest for about 1250 meters to reach a crossroad.
Bockhorn is 1.5 km to your right. Ahead is the path to Düshorn. The route marker now changes from snail to a rather thin deer. Walk through the eastern edge of the Hohe Heide for about 2 kms, until you emerge on Alter Celler Weg in the residential area of Am Krummen Winkel. This joins Celler Straße which passes through Düshorn and ends at Walsrode.
Turn left towards the centre of Düshorn. As you walk down Celler Straße, a turning on your right leads up Am Berge. Take this turning if you wish to return to Bad Fallingbostel. Alternatively it is well worth making a detour to explore the village church.
Düshorn
Düshorn is the largest village of the 22 communities based around the administrative centre of Walsrode. It is first mentioned in the archives of 1237. Its name is derived from the historical name Dußhorne, Duß meaning white moorland / cotton grass covered moorland, and horne literally translates as site of the old horn. The village consists of the oldest settlements of Ellinghausen and Röodershofen, Düshorn itself, Beetenbrück railway station, and the residential areas Am Krummen Winkel and Beetenbrück, which were established after the Second World War.
The village suffered extensive damage in the 30 Years War (1618–48). It was devastated by the fire of 1824, when the wooden church bell tower and 25 cottages situated close to the north of the village church were engulfed by flames. When the farms were rebuilt the church's bell tower was erected a distance away from the main building.
Walk down Celler Straße. As soon as you pass the Kegelbahn and Gasthaus Zur Trompete, turn left into Mühlen Straße and then first right into Kirch Straße where you see the bell tower of St John the Baptist church.
The bell tower stands apart from the nave of the church. This separation of bell tower from the church is a characteristic feature of churches in the Heath. It protects either building from the spread of fire. The tower originally stood on the west side of the church and was visible from far away. In 1734, it was replaced by a new wooden tower on the northwest side of the church. This was destroyed in the fire of 1824, and replaced in 1827 by the current one.
The parish church of St John the Baptist Düshorn first appears in the Lüneburger fiefdom register of 1021. The parish had five villages which were lost on the formation of the Bergen Military Training area in 1936. The original church dates back to 1500. It was restored in 1844. The present baptismal font was donated by Jacob Ernst Grütter, and replaced one destroyed in 1637 during the ravages of the 30 Years War. To the east of the church is Der Grütterstein, the grave stone of Jacob Ernst Grütter born 09 November 1676 died 28 July 1743 and Anna Margaret Grütter born Marquarten born 12 October 1693, died 22 April 1734.
The church yard has a number of 17th to 18th century gravestones which not only portray the pathos of death, but also represent in minute detail the dress of the period. On parade near a hedgerow stand a row of 19th century gravestones. A particular poignant one is that of the Steimneyer children, Heinrich born 24 November 1863, died 10 April 1870, Marie born 20 June 1865, died 15 April 1870, and Friedrich born 13 February 1869, died 14 April 1870. One can only speculate about the cause of their demise. The major killers of children in the 19th century were the infectious diseases such as measles, diphtheria, whooping cough, scarlet fever and small pox. It is feasible that in the absence of immunization or antibiotics, a localised diphtheria epidemic could have carried them all away.
The gravestone of Johann Brandt, born 28 December 1675, died 05 June 1714, is executed in the late baroque style, 1660–1725. Young Johann Brandt is shown with his hands entwined holding the bible. He is framed by an arch, topped with a large sea shell, with a lament arranged in four rows. This says: "Oh timely death that has torn my life away from here, Just as Jesus Christ experienced, The soul so forth departs this body, And goes to God in heavenly peace". On the top of the pilasters are two half winged angels, which escort the soul from the mortal body to everlasting paradise.
Brandt's head is lying on a wreath of roses - a symbol of love and untimely death. He is wearing shoulder length curly hair. This was probably a wig, as it was the fashion for gentlemen to crop their hair short and wear wigs. Brandt is wearing a justaucorps, the dress worn by men from the late 17th century.
The justaucorps was a collarless coat which hugged the top part of the body. It flared out at the waist in a stiffened pleated skirt which went down as far as the knees. It was fastened at the front by a row of buttons, but the lower five were often left undone to allow for freer movement. The skirt had two functional pockets, but the pocket flaps were often not secured, and the button holes were purely decorative. The sleeves stopped just above the wrist, the cuffs were large, and turned backwards.
Brandt's justaucorps shows three buttons below the pocket flap, which are far too low to secure the pocket flaps. He is shown wearing a stienkerk. This was a lace cravat tied very loosely around the neck, with its ends passed through a button hole in the coat. His plain shirt cuffs are visible at the wrist and are secured with two buttons. His waist coat, which is as long as his coat, shows through the open lower par of the justaucorps. Brandt is wearing knee length breeches, tied with a ribbon below the knees. Stockings cover his legs. The shoes are not visible, but would have been high heeled shoes in keeping with the fashion of the day. He carries a hat under his left armpit with its side brim turned up and held by a button through a button hole. The front brim has a flat cockade.
Opposite Johann Brandt junior is the grave stone of Johan Brandt senior. He was born in 1644 and died in 1714, aged 70 years. Brandt senior married Catrine Prölen at the age of 26 years. They had four children during their 12 years of married life. Brandt's second marriage was to Anna Maria Krusen, with whom he had another four children during their 10 years together. He too is wearing a justaucorps with the last four buttons left undone. His hands are entwined but hold no book and the brim of his hat under his left arm pit is not turned up. The flaps of his pockets are buttoned up with three buttons in their button holes. Neither his waist coat nor breeches are visible
The composite grave stone of presumably a husband and wife is most unusual, in that it depicts two effigies. The gentlemen is wearing a justaucorps with the lower six buttons left undone. His breeches and waistcoat are not shown but he is wearing high heeled shoes. His cravat is loosely tied around his neck. His hair is short and just reaches his shoulders. Unlike the other gravestones his hat with its brim upturned is worn rather than carried.
The women adopts the same posture as her male counterpart. Her hair is not visible but is covered with a short hugging bonnet with its inner liner brought forward on to her forehead and pleated in the centre. On her shoulders is a neckerchief knotted at the front, with its long edges dangling down to the level of her mid chest. She wears a short tight jacket with narrow sleeves which do not reach up to her wrist. The cuffs are small and folded backwards to reveal a chemise. The jacket is laced up at the front. She wears a long pleated skirt held at the waist by a ribbon which is tied at her front in a neat bow.
The Röhrshöfen grave stone of 1784, is divided into upper and lower sections by a horizontal platform. The two sections complement each other. The lower section carries an inscription within a closed circle of laurel leaves symbolising eternal life. It translates as: "From Rödershöfen. In 1770 Johan Casten Volmer, in his third week, and in 1783 Christoph Heinrich Volmer in his 12th year, died and went to God. Hausmeister and father Johan Heinrich Volmer and their mother Katharina Elisabeth nee Riepken erected this memorial".
The upper section depicts in graphic detail the anguish of the parent who holds in his right hand a plucked flower, possibly a violet or a forget me not. In his left hand he clutches the bible, the Eternal Word of God with the promise of the after life and resurrection. His hand leads us to a swaddled baby with large closed eyes. The baby's head is covered with a bonnet secured with a ribbon tied in a large bow beneath its neck. Flowers adorn the front of the memorial. They are shown growing out of large urns placed to the side. Flowers symbolise love and youth but the wilting lower leaves reflect that life is transient and impermanent. The flowers have five to four petals with a large central eye and could be pansies or forget me nots. The composite flowers sculptured between the cherub and the dove might represent daisies a symbol of innocence. An hourglass reminds the onlooker that life is short and soon passes away.
The arch is decorated with two cherubs in flight, which accompany the soul up to heaven. Two doves stand for the purity of the soul. The dove also represents the Spirit of God, who descends from heaven to pluck the young life away from earth, and conveys it to a better place. Doves are often depicted on gravestones of infants and children. Between the flying cherub and the dove is a composite flower, probably a daisy to represent innocence of the yound and to reinforcing that the grave is that of an infant. The rising sun in the centre is a symbol of the resurrection and the hope of everlasting life away from the toil and sufferings of this world.
Leave the church yard and turn left towards the old school at number 4 KirchStraße. This dates from 1850, and is now the local museum. At the end of KirchStraße is an oak tree. This was planted on 15 June 1913, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the reign of Kaiser Wilhems II. Turn right up into Fallingbosteler Straße. At Düshornner Hof turn right again into Celler Straße. Walk pass the 1914–1918 and 1939–1945 War Memorial. Opposite Mühlen Straße turn left into Sophien Straße to join Am Berge and to commence your return to Bad Fallingbostel.
Düshorn to Bad Fallingbostel Marktkauf
Walk up Am Berge. The route marker now changes to a six pointed star. Am Berge joins Fallingbosteler Straße. However, just before its junction, a path to your right marked with another star marker, takes you down a relatively straight path which traverse open fields. After about 3 km, the path changes to a paved road. Turn right into TeichStraße to return to Bockhorn Weg, and the Michelin men welcoming you back to Bad Fallingbostel.