Travelling in Brandenburg
Potsdam
Sanssouci Palace, Babelsberg Park, the Dutch Quarter – in addition to these world-famous sights, Potsdam has countless other attractions to offer. The Brandenburg state capital is considered one of the most beautiful cities in Germany. Prussian kings and Brandenburg electors had magnificent rococo palaces and baroque residences built in Potsdam. With its many parks and lakes, Potsdam and the surrounding regions offer a high quality of life. Sanssouci, the New Garden and Babelsberg Park have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1990.
City Palace / Brandenburg State Parliament
The view from the harbour of the historic City Palace, which was rebuilt after reunification and has been the seat of the Brandenburg State Parliament since 2014. In the background: the church of St Nikolai.
Potsdam Film Museum
Built in 1685, the baroque building, the former stables of the palace, is the only building belonging to the city palace that is still in its original state. The film museum has been housed here since 1981, bringing 100 years of film history from the world-famous Babelsberg film studios to life.
Glienicke Bridge
The bridge, which connects Potsdam and Berlin, gained international fame during the Cold War as a spectacular site for the exchange of agents and political prisoners between East and West Germany.
Cecilienhof Palace
In the summer of 1945, the victorious Allied powers - the USA, the Soviet Union and Great Britain - met at Cecilienhof Palace and decided on the division of Germany and Berlin in the so-called Potsdam Agreement.
Albert Einstein’s summer house
In 1929, Nobel Prize winner Albert Einstein had this wooden house built in Caputh near Potsdam, surrounded by nature and directly on the shores of Lake Schwielowsee. After the fascists seized power in 1933, Einstein, who was teaching in the USA at the time, never returned to Germany.
Rheinsberg - A break by the lake
Schloss Rheinsberg
A good hour's drive north of Berlin, in the Ruppiner Land region, lies Rheinsberg Castle on Lake Grienericksee. Frederick the Great ("Old Fritz") lived here until 1740, before he became king and moved his residence to Potsdam.
Today, Rheinsberg Castle is the cultural centre of the Ruppiner Land region. Among other things, it houses a literary museum that provides information about the life and work of the journalist and satirist Kurt Tucholsky. Every summer, thousands of culture enthusiasts travel to the performances and concerts of the Rheinsberg Castle Chamber Opera. Then not only the square in front of the colonnades, but the entire castle park becomes an open-air stage
Castle garden
The huge park is ideal for wonderful walks. And there are countless opportunities for swimming in the more than two dozen lakes near Rheinsberg. The nearest lido with sunbathing lawn and sandy beach is on Lake Rheinsberg, less than 5 minutes away by car.
Rheinsberg harbour village
The town of Rheinsberg, with its charming shops, restaurants, cafés and hotels, is centred around Rheinsberg Castle. Those who prefer to cruise around the lakes can book a tour to the Great Zechlin Lake or the Müritz Lake District with the Halbeck shipping company.
Spreewald - A hundred rivers and one forest
Just over an hour's drive south of Berlin is a landscape that is unique in Germany. A forest criss-crossed by hundreds of small canals and rivers.
In 1990, almost 500 km2 of the Spreewald became a biosphere reserve. The meadows, rivers and forests are home to more than 2000 species of insects, otters and beavers and over 250 species of birds, including cranes and red kites. Reptiles such as adders and grass snakes have a very special significance in the Spreewald: even before the floods come, they take refuge on the elevations, the so-called Kaupen, and thus also protect people from the dangers.
The heart of the Spreewald
Lübbenau is the most direct way to reach the heart of the Spreewald, where you can travel almost exclusively by boat, which are moved and navigated through the rivers using long poles. Even today, many farms can only be reached by boat. The main season for excursions is from April to October. Almost every village has a small barge harbour and there are cafés and restaurants at many landing stages, often serving typical Spreewald dishes.
Source: Kristine Jaath: „Brandenburg“, Trescher Verlag, 2022