Burg Stargard is a small town just southeast of Neubrandenburg in the Mecklenburg Lake District, dominated by the brick-and-fieldstone castle that gives it its name. Built in the 13th century by the Margraves of Brandenburg, the Burg sits on a hill 90 metres above the surrounding countryside — the highest medieval hilltop castle in northern Germany — and is well preserved enough to wander through, with a small museum, a falconry centre, and views over the lakes and forests of the Tollensesee region.
Below the castle is a quiet town of about 5,000 people, half-timbered houses around a market square, the kind of place where everything closes early. The main reason to come is the castle itself; combine it with a day on the Tollensesee or a stop in Neubrandenburg.