A wide view for your lens: the best photo spots in the Lüneb­urg Heath

• Pietzmoor

For unique photos, take a walk at sunset over the wooden boardwalks of the Pietzmoor. The best time for photos is when the evening light dips, painting the sky over the heath in gentle gold and purple tones. Particularly on the Pietzmoor, the warm light reflects beautifully on the moor lakes and creates a magical atmosphere.

Photo tip: The best time for photos on the Pietzmoor is at sunset between May and September. The cotton grass blossom begins in early May. When the sea of white cotton wool sways in the evening spring wind, unique photos are guaranteed.

• Totengrund

Totengrund is definitely one of the most-photographed and oft-visited locations in Lüneburg Heath. No wonder: the heath valley is surrounded by an almost otherworldly beauty. Particularly in the early morning hours in late summer, when the heather bloom is in its full glory, the morning dew glitters like pearls and a light fog billows through the valley, you can take fantastic landscape photos here without any other tourists around.

Photo tip: The early bird catches the worm, or in this case the photo. When the heather blooms in August and September, it is best to be here very early – from sunrise at 4:30 am.

• Lüneburg Old Town

From half-timbered houses with gabled façades and protruding ledges to the monastery church of St. Michael, there are plenty of great photo ops in Lüneburg Old Town. In the evening, the light falls particularly beautifully into the small alleyways and gives your photos that special touch.

Photo tip: The Old Town is a great photo op all year round. If you want to minimise the chance of rain, you should come between May and July.

• Meißendorfer Teiche

If you want to go out into nature to take a few breathtaking photos, the Meißendorfer Teiche (Meißendorf ponds) in Lüneburg Heath are an absolute must. The peacefulness surrounding the pond landscape is so incomparably beautiful that the most diverse types of animals and birds have settled here, such as white-tailed eagles and otters. The absolute highlight? In March, the majestic cranes come to the ponds for their courtship and can be observed particularly well in the early morning hours.

Photo tip: The famous crane dance can be best observed at sunrise. The breeding period for birds begins in March.

• Schmarbeck Heath

No trip to Lüneburg Heath would be complete without a visit to Schmarbeck Heath. The Wacholderwald (juniper forest) Schmarbeck is the perfect location for capturing the magnificent play of colours between the purple heath and the gnarled, dark green juniper bushes.

Photo tip: At sunrise, the juniper casts great shadows and the morning dew gleaming on the spiders’ webs and plants bestows a mystical aura on the ‘Teufelsheide’ (Devil’s Heath). The heath is in full bloom between August and September.

• Suhorn

There is hardly a place where you can experience the endless expanse of the Lüneburg Heath as well as on the Suhorn terminal moraine. From the ridge you can enjoy an undisturbed panoramic view of the surrounding green meadows, purple heaths and the Wümme river, which makes its way through the valley.

Photo tip: For the perfect postcard motif in August or September, come to the Alfred Töpfer memorial stone around 8:30 pm and photograph the heather blossom in the Wümme valley.