In the west of the Darß peninsula is the 5800-hectare Darßwald forest, which belongs to the Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft National Park. The forest area is not populated and borders the villages of Ahrenshoop, Born, Wieck and Prerow. The Pomeranian dukes have used the forest as a hunting ground since the Middle Ages. This tradition continued in the 19th century when even the Swedish king hunted here. In the 20th century, the Darßwald became a GDR state hunting ground. Ferdinand von Raesfeld (1855-1929) was particularly committed to reforestation and game protection. That is why the Forestry and Hunting Museum in Born is dedicated to him and his grave can be found in the Darßwald.
