Stamping point 203 / refuge on the Mettenberg

The Mettenberg refuge is located in the Selke valley between the Hotel Thalmühle and the Selkemühle.

Over a length of 8 km, the val­ley is free of car traf­fic at this point and is wider than in oth­er places. The paved path, which is also used by many cyclists, leads through the nature reserve and allows you to mar­vel at the unique flo­ra and fauna. 

The Selke Val­ley is home to the largest known tree-nest­ing swift pop­u­la­tion in Ger­many, but it is also the habi­tat of the wild­cat. Above the val­ley there are many near-nat­ur­al decid­u­ous forests, but grass­land used for graz­ing or mow­ing pre­dom­i­nates on the val­ley floor. Reedbeds and wil­low bush­es line the banks, where dip­pers and king­fish­ers also breed. 

A good start­ing point is the pub­lic park­ing lot on the avenue in Meis­dorf. From there, walk along the Selke riv­er to the refuge, which is locat­ed below the Met­ten­berg. On the way back, you can con­tin­ue the tour via the Esel­stieg up to Falken­stein Castle.