Pension Zur Alten Post
At the harbour, island town
Campinginsel Havelberg
The town’s only campsite sits on the Spülinsel, surrounded by the Havel and opposite the island town. Tent, caravan or motorhome, short walks to the cathedral and the harbour, plus minigolf, boat hire and Café Lieblingsplatz. Many call it a quiet favourite: human, green, with a story that reaches back to the years after the war.
Where it is
Spülinsel 6, 39539 Havelberg. You reach the island over the modern bridge from the old station area; it faces the yacht harbour and Bahnhofstraße. Easy by car; cycle travellers like the central spot. From the pitches and the tent meadow you look at water, cathedral and old town. The shortest way to the island town is the Havelstegbrücke, open only to walkers and cyclists.
What you get
- Pitches for caravans and motorhomes
- Tent meadow
- Washrooms (renovated 2011/2012)
- Minigolf
- Boat hire (rowing boats and canoes)
- Café Lieblingsplatz in season
- View of cathedral, Havel and island town
Who it suits
- Campers with tent, caravan or motorhome
- Cycle travellers wanting a central spot on the Havel
- Guests who want cathedral, harbour and old town on foot
- Visitors to the Horse Market or boat parade when fixed beds in town are taken
- Families: minigolf, water and short walks
Gallery
A short story
How the Spülinsel came about
When the Havelberg lock was built (1933 to 1936) and the lock canal to the Elbe, sand was dredged and pumped onto a meadow. That is how the Spülinsel opposite the island town was made.
After the war and the Pohland family
In 1945 the refugee barge families Pohland and Nitschke found shelter on the Spülinsel. With permission from the waterways office and the Russian command they put up emergency homes from what need supplied: boards from the barge, driftwood, nails they made themselves. Otto Pohland had to sail the barge for the occupying power in 1945; the ship was later taken as reparations. Gertrud Pohland lived with the children alone on the island at times and needed a Soviet permit for the hand canoe, because the town could only be reached over water.
In the early 1950s the Pohlands kept goats, sheep, geese, hens and rabbits. The animals became a petting zoo for camping children and town children. In 1954 the first tent family from Eilenburg pitched camp; Gertrud Pohland helped with straw sacks and tarpaulins. From 1960 the Spülinsel was listed in the camping guide as a public tent site. In strong seasons the campers numbered over 1,000 people. The town council of Havelberg ran the site.
Gertrud Pohland lived summer and winter from 1945 to 2005 in the small island cottage. For 25 years she looked after the town boat hire and the campsite, sold fishing tickets and stayed for the guests well beyond working hours. In 1979 her employment ended because of age; until the Heldt family took over, management changed three times. On 1 February 2005 she died in her cottage, eight weeks before her 93rd birthday. The house was pulled down in April 2005. Three anchors with a chain mark the old spot for her and for the wooden cottage.
Bridges, high water and a new start
The link to the station ground ran over several generations of bridges: first a wooden bridge, later a solid arch bridge in GDR years, since 1998 the present foot and cycle bridge. In the floods of 2002 and 2013 the site stayed dry. About one metre was left to the island surface. Campers who wanted to stay could stay. After the old buildings came down, the view from the seats is open to the cathedral; from the island town you see the entrance.
Today: rating and atmosphere
The campsite stands high in the German Tourism Association rating (5 stars in the display on site). In 2011 and 2012 the washrooms were renovated. There are regular events, among them an Easter gathering, dancing into May, grill evenings at Whitsun and a part in the island and harbour festival. The boards on local history were documented by Gerald and Käthe Totzke née Pohland; they have looked after the display case since 2005.
For guests visiting the Horse Market or the boat parade, the site is a practical alternative when fixed beds in town are booked out. The short walk to the island town, the harbour and the restaurants remains.
Practical notes
- Address: Spülinsel 6, 39539 Havelberg
- Enquiries and bookings: Sebastian, phone 01520 2881331 (phone preferred, no email enquiries)
- Operator website: campinginsel-havelberg.de
- Café Lieblingsplatz: in season from Easter to mid-October, details on the Café Lieblingsplatz page
- Boat hire on site: rowing boats and canoes
Map
Red marker: this stay. The other pins are nearby places to stay. Map: OpenStreetMap.
