Hutewaldlauf Ivenack

Run under National Monument Oaks

The Hutewaldlauf is one of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's special sporting events. Instead of asphalt courses, participants can expect a circuit through the Tiergarten Ivenack, a historic 'Hutewald' (coppice-with-standards woodland) in the Mecklenburg Lake District. Here stand the thousand-year-old Ivenack oaks, protected since 2016 as Germany's first National Natural Monument — trees with trunk circumferences of up to eleven meters and an estimated age of over 1,000 years.

Three Routes, Many Modes of Movement

One lap measures around 1.8 kilometers. Participants choose freely: one, two, or three laps – meaning 1.8 km, 3.6 km, or 5.4 km. The mode of movement is also open: running, walking, Nordic walking, with a wheelchair or walker, in costume, backwards, or hopping — anything goes. This inclusive concept makes the Hutewaldlauf a family event where fun and experiencing nature are the focus, not the stopwatch.

A Community Project Since 2022

The run was initiated in 2022 as a joint project of the Stavenhagener SV von 1863 and the Stavenhagen Forestry Office. Since then, it has taken place annually in late spring or early summer. The meeting point is the impressive 'Pferdekopf-Eiche' (Horsehead Oak) in the Tiergarten. All participants are rewarded with a wooden medal and a forestry bag with surprises.

The Tiergarten Ivenack — A Historic Hutewald

The Tiergarten has been documented since the 16th century and once served as a noble hunting park for the Plessen family. Today, fallow deer and mouflon live here in a 175-hectare enclosure. The clearings were created by centuries of grazing — a management method that allowed the oaks to grow. The Stavenhagen Forestry Office combines the run with environmental education, making the natural monument accessible to a broad audience.

Regional Anchor in the Stavenhagen District

The venue is the municipality of Ivenack in the Amt Stavenhagen, Mecklenburg Lake District. The Hutewaldlauf joins the growing range of regional outdoor sporting events and positions the Reuterstadt Stavenhagen as a nature-oriented activity hub in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.