Picture the scene A small village nestled on the edge of Rostock Heath. This is Wiethagen a place steeped in history. Wiethagen wasn’t always a quiet village. It emerged in the mid-18th century. Farmers from Oberhagen and Niederhagen were displaced to make way for two new manors. Two humble shelters were built for these displaced farmers. These shelters became Wiethagen.
By 1769 Wiethagen appeared on a map of Rostock Heath. A tragic event marked the early years of Wiethagen. Forest Inspector Muller died tragically in 1780 at the Wiethagen forester’s lodge. The lodge still stands today a testament to Wiethagen’s enduring history.
In 1835 Wiethagen was small. It consisted of a few homes. A sawyer’s house five woodworkers resided there. This displeased Rostock’s craftsmen. The oldest building in Wiethagen is a wooden storehouse built in 1825. It became a home for widows and daughters of forest officials. The railway reached Rövershagen in 1889 making the storehouse redundant as a wood depot.
Wiethagen’s history isn’t solely about homes and tragedy. A significant part of Wiethagen’s story involves charcoal production. Since 1837 Wiethagen had a tar works. Charcoal burners produced charcoal wood tar and turpentine in double-walled ovens. The charcoal burner’s house and the tar ovens became a technical monument in 1984. They were restored by 1989. A support association now manages the museum on Wiethagen’s Forst- und Köhlerhof. The smaller oven is the only surviving example in Europe. In 2009 Wiethagen hosted a European charcoal burner’s meeting with 130 participants.
Wiethagen’s story also includes a military chapter. A 60-hectare infantry shooting range operated here until 2000. This was part of a 1120-hectare restricted area. EU funding enabled the demolition of buildings and the area’s renaturation into forest and heath.
Wiethagen’s journey didn’t end there. In 1924 Wiethagen became part of Rostock. It’s now part of Rostock’s Northwest 1 district. Wiethagen a small village with a big story a story of resilience adaptation and a unique industrial heritage. A story we can experience today.