Nonnenhof, Nature reserve near Neubrandenburg, Germany

Nonnenhof is a 1,049-hectare nature reserve on the Lieps lake near Neubrandenburg. Regular flooding of the Nonnenhof peninsula has created swamp and large sedge-alder forests, while the lake shore is lined with reed and rush beds and floating-leaf plants. The reserve protects 170 breeding bird species and serves as a feeding area for white-tailed eagles, ospreys and black storks.

The peninsula and Lieps were placed under protection in 1937; the reserve now covers 1049 hectares. In 1988 the area was recognised as part of a European bird protection area. The NABU-Stiftung Nationales Naturerbe owns a large share of the land and works to keep the wet meadows and alder swamp woods open.

The name Nonnenhof points to a former nunnery estate, though the sources document no nuns' history in detail. What visitors notice today is the birdlife: 170 breeding species, among them bittern-like marsh birds such as the common snipe, woodcock, quail and corncrake, plus kingfishers, cranes, grey herons and cormorants. In autumn up to 17,000 bean and white-fronted geese rest on the Lieps.

On the Lieps only passenger boats may run, and only in the dredged channel between Neubrandenburg and Prillwitz; private boating, diving and fishing are banned across the lake. The reserve lies by the upper Tollense basins, with the villages of Penzlin, Hohenzieritz, Blumenholz and Groß Nemerow around it. A holiday settlement of Swedish-style houses is being built directly beside the reserve, between the Lieps and the south-east shore of the Tollensesee.

During migration season, large flocks of geese gather here to rest and feed as they travel. This makes the area a vital stopover point on their journey between northern and southern regions.