NORDPFAD Hinzel

We begin our hike through the Hinzel State Forest at the parking lot by the water treatment plant, which is located north of the main town of Oerel on the K 116, west of the Bahnhof Oerel neighborhood. Just a few meters after we’ve entered the forest on the well-paved “Postweg”—an ancient road once traveled by stagecoaches—the sound of the occasional passing car fades away. We can now relax and enjoy the tranquility of the forest. Soon we reach the former Hinzel Forest Building, where a small rest area has been set up for hikers. At times, cattle help keep the meadow in front of the building open. We leave the wide forest road and turn left onto the natural trail along the small clearing. At the end, the trail leads back into the denser forest. On this section, we repeatedly come across small mounds of earth on both sides of the trail. Parts of the trail are also paved.

Let’s take a look back at this point: Since the 1930s, Hinzel was home to the so-called “Naval Armaments Office”, which served as the German Navy’s largest arsenal, complete with an ammunition factory and storage facility. Due to its secluded location in the forest, it remained undetected by the Allies until the end of the war. After World War II ended, the Allies demolished many bunkers and buildings. They left some standing. Since the crumbling structures posed a danger over time to children playing as well as to wildlife, they were gradually dismantled and disposed of. A few mounds and the paved roads have been preserved as historical remnants.

We follow the path through the dense coniferous forest and return to the “Postweg,” which now runs past the former customs office, now the headquarters of the Vollmer poultry farm, all the way to the Hindenburg Oak parking lot, the starting point 2 of this hiking trail. Here we can take a break by the oak tree, which is a designated historic monument, before the NORDPFAD leads us back into the denser forest.

Passing a clearing where a bench invites us to rest, we reach the Heinschenwalder Weg. From there, the NORDPFAD trail markers lead us on a zigzagging course deeper and deeper into the forest.  Denser and more open coniferous forests alternate throughout our hike. With a little luck, you might even spot various wild animals along the way. And if you listen closely, you can hear the songs of numerous songbirds or the tapping of woodpeckers. Tree remains—so-called “deadwood”—are deliberately left standing to provide food and nesting sites for woodpeckers, bats, cavity-nesting birds, and various insects. Many of the deadwood inhabitants—insects as well as birds—have bark beetles at the top of their diet. In other words: The more of these bark beetles—which, through their feeding, cause spruce trees in particular to die—are eliminated, the lower the risk of infestation to valuable timber.

Although spruce clearly dominates the coniferous tree population in the forest, at the forest edge, Hinzel there are an increasing number of massive, deeply gnarled beech trees. Today, especially in dense coniferous forests, the stated goal of the Lower Saxony forestry offices is to increase the proportion of deciduous trees. Foresters are out and about, particularly in the spring, to carry out the necessary planting work. Just before we leave the forest, there’s a small rest area with a table and bench next to an exciting “climbing tree.”

We follow the path along the forest edge until we catch sight of the vast landscape of the Trümmenmoor. Now the NORDPFAD leads through fields and meadows, past the vegetation of the Sylvester Tree Nursery to the Alter Kirchweg. This path was once used by the residents of the village of Ebersdorf as a connecting route to reach the Oereler Church. The road passes by the fenced-in, former NATO air defense site “HawkFlaRak Ebersdorf”, which was in operation from 1969 to 2002. We once again enter the dense forest until we reach the starting point, the parking lot at the water treatment plant.

Connections to Other NORDPFADEN Trails
A 4.5 km access trail leads from the Hindenburg-Eiche parking lot to starting point 2 of the NORDPFAD Hölzerbruch-Malse.

Trail Closures
Before you set out on your hike, check for possible detours and trail closures—such as those caused by storm damage or flooding—at www.nordpfade.de 

Marker
The marker shows a white "N" on an orange background with the name of the NORDPFAD Hinzel.

Signposting
Destination signposts supplement the markings and are placed at prominent points. The signposts list places that are on the route or branch off from it, together with the distance in kilometers. The logo of the respective NORDPFADES is located underneath.

Komoot
We have compiled all 24 circular hiking trails in a separate NORDPFADE collection in the well-known outdoor app. The tours can also be found in the portal under the "Northern Heath" region.

Not yet on Komoot?
There is a free voucher code for new customers.The code is ROW and can be redeemed via "Redeem voucher" at komoot.de/g or via the link https://komoot.com/de-de/g?code=ROW.

The following brochures are available free of charge at local tourist information offices and at Brochure Order . They are also available for download there. 

• NORDPFADE Tour Guide
  This small brochure contains everything you need to know about the hiking region.


• NORDPFADE Overview Map
  This handy fold-out leaflet serves as a compact planning guide for the environmentally conscious.
  
  
• NORDPFADE Hiking Pass
  The stamp-free version for collectors.

There is also a paperback published by Editon Temmenverlag has published. An entertaining “hiking guide” by Lucia Gefken, who escapes her everyday life and takes up hiking.

• My NORDPFADE 
  Or: "It doesn't always have to be the Camino de Santiago!"