What I love about going to places you’ve never heard about is how much they can surprise you. I wasn’t even in Schleswig for 24 hours and it already impressed me, though I would visit for a full two weeks. First mentioned in 804 as a market place, the Duke’s residence in the 16th and 17th centuries made the city a cultural center. Which is why Schleswig is a great place to base your visit to the Schlei region. There’s so much to see here. Additionally, it is connected by train to Kiel, Hamburg, and Flensburg, making it easy to arrive by public transportation and to make day trips to other places.
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Visit Schloss Gottorf in Schleswig
Visiting Schloss Gottorf is a day-long event in itself. There are extensive exhibits within the palace as well as several outbuildings to explore – including two filled with expressionist and impressionist art and another with an exhibit on an exhumed boat from 300 ACE.
Arrival and Entry
The palace is surrounded by water, flanked on one side by the Burggraben and the other side by the Schlei, located a 20 minute walk from Schleswig’s center. A visit to Schleswig’s castle costs just 10€. This fee includes the palace, Kreuzstall gallery, Galerie der Klassischen Moderne, and Nydamhalle. While much of the information is in German and Danish, the main text for each room is also in English; an audio guide is available (2€). Usually, there is also a special exhibit on for an extra fee.
Here are 10 ideas for an active visit to the Schlei region
Castle Exhibits
The round tour in the castle begins with religious art from the Medieval Age and moves onto art and culture of the renaissance. I was surprised and delighted to see a room full of Cranachs, who was best known for his oodles of portraits of Martin Luther. The next room holds another shock: a Gutenberg Bible! One of the remaining 48 of the original 180 printed.
chapel 
Hirschsaal
Up on the first floor, the exhibits contain pieces from the Baroque and Rococo periods, including lots of Faience porcelain. Two impressive rooms are on this floor from the 16th century. The Schlosskappelle (chapel) was one of the few rooms continually used at the castle with the same purpose and has therefore been extremely well preserved. Next door is the Hirschsaal, named for the many deer reliefs on the wall, which was used as a ballroom and Festsaal.
Somehow, I sadly missed seeing the Iron Age skeletons, which were exhumed near Eckernförde and are star attractions on a visit to Schleswig’s Schloss Gottorf. Before exiting Schloss Gottorf, there is an exhibit on Danish and German painters from the 19th century. I‘m not sure I saw everything on offer in the castle, because there is so much to see! And it‘s only the beginning of what’s included in the ticket.
Nydamhalle
Next I checked out the Nydamhalle, having no idea what was in there. This building houses two boats from the Iron Age. Yes, seventeen hundred years old! These two boats were found in the region in the 19th century along with many other artifacts. It is believed that the people were sacrificing the boats, weapons, and other valuable objects into the shallow, swampy water to bring them good fortune in war. The exhibit contains a lot of information about the archaeological dig around the two boats as well as information about settlements during the Iron Age.
Art Galleries
If there wasn‘t enough art for you in the castle, then you will find it in the Kreuzstall and the Galerie der Klassischen Moderne. The Kreuzstall is a two-story plus-shaped building which houses art and design from the 20th century. It showcases impressionism with works from famous artists like Manet, Liebermann, Degas, and more. The information here was available in English, as well as German. The Galerie der Klassischen Moderne contains expressionism with works from modern northern German artists. Some noteworthy names that even I recognized are Emil Nolde, Ernst Barlauch, and Käthe Kollwitz.
Baroque Garden
Oh, and we’re not done with our castle visit just yet. The nearby baroque garden is free to explore. The gardens contain the Globushaus, a building with a 3m-wide 17th century globe and planetarium. It was a knock-out attraction back in the day, with the most modern mappings of the world and sky at the time. Unfortunately, the original burned down, but a new one has been rebuilt to be as close to the original as possible. It was unfortunately closed while I visited due to Corona, but there was an exhibit about it inside the Schloss Gottorf. When it’s open, the Globus costs 3€ to visit.
The tiered garden has cascading stairs and fountains throughout. At the bottom is a pond with a statue of Hercules completing one of his 12 labors. The Hercules statue is a remake of the original, the pieces of which are on display inside the castle.
Visit Schlesweig’s Fishing Village Holm
Walking through the Altstadt, you’ll eventually stumble upon the Holm Fishing Village. It is cute, cute, and more cute! If you visit Schleswig, you will not want to miss it! Holm is the old fishing village in Schleswig, and was an island until 1933. Tiny, unique, brick fishing cottages line the streets. The center of the village is a white brick church, built in 1876, surrounded by a cemetery full of blooming flowers like brightly colored Easter eggs. The street circles the church with the houses facing inward. There aren‘t many roads in the village, but some of them lead to the water where fishing boats and gear await their owners. To enjoy the view a little longer, enjoy some homemade Kuchen at the Holm Café.
St. Petri Cathedral
Arriving in the old town, it will be impossible to miss the St. Petri Cathedral, first mentioned in 1134 and completed by the end of the 13th century. Most impressive is the Brüggemann Altar with nearly 400 oak-carved figures. When I visited, the cathedral was closed for renovation; St. Petri currently has variable opening times due to the construction.
Visit Schleswig’s Park and Promenade
The walk from Schloss Gottorf to the other end of the fishing village Holm is about 3 kilometers. On the way, you can take a break in the Königswiese, where there’s something for everyone: a skate park, mini golf, tons of benches, a great playground, beaches for humans and for dogs, and gorgeous views of Seagull Island (Möweninsel) in the Schlei. At the end of the park, a long promenade runs along the water’s edge all the way to Schloss Gottorf.
from the promenade, you can see St. Petri Cathedral and the Altstadt
Viking Museum Haithabu near Schleswig
Haithabu was the most important Viking settlement, and it is located just 4 km from Schleswig.
Arrival and Entry
The museum is 4 km by bike from Schleswig, but you can also arrive by bus (stop: Haddeby/Haithabu). Much of the museum is in Germany only, with Danish and English accompanying the main text for each room. The open-air part of the museum may be more interesting for the non-German-speaking visitor. The museum ticket includes access to the open-air village (9 €); a ticket for just the village can be purchased separately.
Exhibits
The Viking Museum Haithabu explains the importance of the Viking settlement Haithabu through the many archaeological finds. Artifacts include handcraft tools, Rune stones, jewelry, and grave findings.
A few hundred meters from the museum is the actual site of Haithabu. The half-circle defense wall still surrounds the site; you can even walk along the top of it. Local species of cow and sheep, similar to those which roamed Haithabu, graze the grass to keep up the grounds. Seven structures have been reconstructed based on the most intact finds from the digs. They include the homes of the comb-maker, cloth merchant, merchant, woodworker, fisher, a meeting house, and a lodge. Additionally, a large reconstructed dock reaches out into the lake. In the time of Haithabu, the Vikings continually extended the dock because the accumulation of trash in the lake prohibited ships from reaching the dock.
Hike Haithabu
The hike takes you atop the semicircle defense wall, across the Noorbrücke, a simple wooden bridge connecting the two lakes, to two Rune stone replicas, the Königshügel monument to fallen Austrian soldiers during the German-Danish War of 1864, a beach, and excellent, magical views over the landscape. This hike is fabulous and not to be missed! Find out more about this hikes and others here in the best hikes in the Schlei.
Stadtmuseum in Schleswig
Just beyond Schleswig’s promenade is the Stadtmuseum, which is nearly as adorable as the Holm fishing village. For 5€ you can enter the museum and learn about Schleswig’s history. The museum is exclusively in Danish and German. The top floor has a small toy collection from the doctor who used live in the building before it became a museum. Two outbuildings are home to additional exhibits. One is a teddy bear museum presenting local and global teddies. The other has rotating photography exhibits. During my visit, it showcased the winners of the European nature photography competition. Lots of great images from photographers across Europe visiting places all over the world. I found the photography exhibit alone to be worth the admission price.
Across the street is the Landesarchiv Schleswig-Holstein, which itself is a beautiful yellow palace. This area is a like another mini-center of Schleswig and has many quaint streets to explore.
Danewerk
The Danewerk is located in the village of Dannewerk and is called Danevirke in Danish, so don’t let the various spellings alarm you. Located about 8 km from Schleswig, a visit to the Danewerk will complete your understanding of the Haithabu defense wall. The Danewerk is 30 km wall erected to demarcate and defend the southern border of the Danish kingdom in starting in the 6th century. Between the 6th and 11th centuries, the wall was improved and changed. It was built out of over 10 million bricks, two of which interestingly contain a handprint and a tiny footprint. The Danewerk sits between the Schlei and the Eider River, which also formed and maintained the border. Around the wall is a lot of wet, marshy land, making it easier to defend.
Danewerk and swamp 
use of the wall for war fortifications
In the mid 1800s, the wall became of interest again during the German-Danish war. Today the wall is maintained with traditional means (ie cows and sheep) in order to prevent it from overgrowing and to preserve the cultural landscape it has had for the last millennia. The grounds are free to visit and there are a few information signs containing equal texts in English, Danish, and German. The Danewerk Museum costs 5€ but has information in Danish and German only. The ground floor has exhibits about the origins of the wall and Viking trade as well as the 1864 war. Upstairs is an exhibit on Danish and German minorities’ history in Germany and Denmark respectively.
Visit Schleswig by Boat
A highlight of my Schleswig visit was seeing the Schleimünde, where the Schlei flows into the Baltic Sea. You can take a boat from Kappeln or from Schleswig. The tour to Schleimünde from Schleswig is an all day affair (9-18:30) on the Wappen von Schleswig. The ship was originally an ice breaker and tugboat from 1927 called Altstadt. After the Second World War, the ship transported over 200 refugees. The Wappen von Schleswig found its new home and has been cruising the Schlei since 1968. Trips to the Schleimünde only take place on Tuesdays, but to Ulsnis and Missunde 4-5 days a week (about 3 hours to Ulsnis and back).
Visit Schleswig!
There is so much to do in Schleswig, you will not regret a visit to the region. Other close-by attractions include the Baltic Sea, the Schlei, Eckernförde, the Geltinger Birk, and Kappeln. To read more about them, check out 10 active ideas for the Schlei or the 5 best hikes in the Schlei. The website for the Landesmuseen Schlewig-Holstein was helpful for finding opening times and Corona regulations.
