Pölchow – Village History and Warnow Tour

Village History and Historic Buildings

A memorial and several different types of buildings in Pölchow offer concrete starting points for exploring the village. A war memorial for 1914–18 with a peace oak stands on Alte Dorfstraße. It is listed in the monument register of the Rostock district. At Alte Dorfstraße 6, there is also a former double smallholding residence, which is likewise included in the register. The memorial with its peace oak and the former residence point to different aspects of the village’s history.

Another former school building is located at Alte Dorfstraße 14 and is also listed in the monument register of the Rostock district. Two residential buildings with barns stand at Rostocker Straße 6 and 7; these are listed there as well. Thus, the named historic buildings include a former school, a former double smallholding residence, and residential buildings with barns. If you are interested in village history, these different building descriptions can inspire you to look not only at individual structures but also at their former residential and educational uses.

The documentary mention from 1275 and today’s listed monuments offer different ways of exploring Pölchow’s past: the year refers to the oldest surviving mention of the village under the name “Polchowe,” while the buildings and memorial named here identify concrete points of local history. For a stay focused on culture, you could therefore spend some quiet time exploring the village’s history and buildings, rather than treating the village solely as a starting point for a longer tour.

The Warnow Tour and Its Natural Areas

The Warnow Tour from Schwaan to Rostock passes through the “Unteres Warnowland” nature reserve and by Pölchow. The route also lies within the “Warnowtal mit kleinen Zuflüssen” Special Area of Conservation and the “Warnowtal, Sternberger Seen und untere Mildenitz” bird protection area. These area names make clear that this tour is about not only the river but also different designated natural areas. This may be important when choosing a holiday apartment or holiday home if you want to focus your days on either local history or the Warnow landscape.

From the water, you may spot white-tailed eagles, kingfishers and woodpeckers along the tour; with a little luck, you may also see beavers. The chance to observe wildlife is a special part of the experience on the water, though no particular sighting is guaranteed. If you are interested in animals and landscapes, this offers a different travel focus from exploring Pölchow’s historic buildings. Depending on their pace, canoeists reach the Mühlendamm in Rostock after about 4–5 hours. This approximate time gives you a specific point of reference when considering how the tour might fit into your travel plans.

Getting There and Choosing a Holiday Base

Pölchow has an S-Bahn station at Bahnhofsweg 17b. If you are planning to travel by train, you can take the station into account when choosing where to stay. To decide between a holiday apartment and a holiday home, it is also helpful to determine your preferred focus in advance: are you mainly interested in the village’s history and its named buildings, or would you like to make the Warnow Tour and wildlife observation from the water the centre of your stay? Pölchow thus offers two clearly distinct themes to consider when choosing accommodation and planning your holiday days.

For more options when choosing a destination, you can also find pages about Elmenhorst/Lichtenhagen, Lambrechtshagen, Papendorf, Ziesendorf, Stäbelow and Kritzmow.

For the broader travel overview: Amt Warnow-West.