Ratzeburg Island Summer

Sand in the Middle of the Market Square

The Ratzeburg Inselsommer is an unusual town initiative with a simple idea: deck chairs are set up on a small sandy area, a wooden platform with a ramp makes everything accessible, and for four summer months, the central market square of the historic island town of Ratzeburg becomes an urban beach landscape. The third edition of the campaign runs in 2026 — from May 16th to August 31st, 2026. Admission is completely free, anyone can sit in a deck chair, read, chat, or doze.

A Social Idea

The initiative is more than just decorative. It is a conscious offer to the community to use public space as a place to linger — especially at a time when many city centers are striving for quality of stay. First Town Councillor Jürgen Hentschel coordinates the project. Accessibility is consistently considered: a deck chair is permanently reserved on the wooden platform, so that people in wheelchairs can also find a spot at any time.

Who Supports the Initiative

The deck chairs are provided by several sponsors:

• Volksbank Raiffeisenbank eG Ratzeburg
• Restaurant Lavastein
• Hentschel & Co. Immobilien
• Bürgerstiftung Ratzeburg
• City of Ratzeburg

The carpentry workshop Zimmerei Ronny Heimig donated the wooden structure, and the municipal works department handles setup and dismantling.

Integrated into the Summer in the City

The Inselsommer is not isolated but is integrated into the summer events on the market square — town festivals, "Summer in the City" events, concerts, and markets use the beach area as a backdrop. So you can move between a deck chair and browsing the market without leaving the square.

Ratzeburg and the Herzogtum Lauenburg District

The City of Ratzeburg in the Herzogtum Lauenburg district, state of Schleswig-Holstein, is both a district capital and an island town: the historic old town center is located on a small island in the Großer Ratzeburger See, one of the most beautiful lakes in the Lauenburg Lake District. Ratzeburg has a preserved 12th-century old town with the distinctive Ratzeburg Cathedral. The Inselsommer on the market square adds a summery urban space to this rural-lake landscape.