Tom`s travels: Prenzlau, Angermünde, Chorin & Eberswalde (15/09/2020)

On a nice sunny Tuesday, I decided to take a day trip from Berlin and visit a few towns north of the capital. I took an early train and reached the first town of the day: Prenzlau. After reaching the town's train station I then headed out on foot and in the direction of the city center. As I approached it, I passed by the nice Stettiner Tor, one of the surviving medieval city gates, named so because facing the direction of the city of Szczecin. Next to it, encircling the northern part of the city center is the old town wall, which in this case has been well preserved and still featuring the watchtowers every few meters. In fact, Prenzlau had been heavily damaged during WWII and had lost most of its old buildings. Nowadays many had been restored or fully reconstructed while for others new typical communist-style blockhouses had been built creating a sharp, and sometimes ugly contrast in the city center between old and modern. From the northern town walls I then continued along some modern buildings until I passed by the Dreifaltigkeitskirche, or Holy Trinity Church, built between the 13th and 14th centuries but which was unfortunately closed. Just a few meters further I then reached the town's main church, the Marienkirche, or St Mary's church. Started during the 13th century it was then expanded the following century in a typical Brick Gothic style, creating a wondrous building which can be still seen today, as it had been repaired and restored after the damages of the war. It features a tall stark eastern facade with two slender bell towers to the side, and a much more ornate and beautiful eastern facade considered one of the best and most beautiful examples of Brick Gothic. The interior features a large and tall nave full of light but quite empty and austere; as I walked in it was being used for a choir rehearsal. Through a small door, I was then able to walk to the top of the southern tower, with about 234 steps leading up the 68m high structure. From there I had then a commanding view of the whole city and of the nearby Unterucker Lake. After taking a few photos I then headed back down, this time descending through the northern tower, as it was connected to the southern one by a small passageway. Once outside the church and at street level I then walked a little bit further and reached the Heiliggeistkapelle, or Holy Ghost Chapel, a nice small 14th-century church. Next to it was the Mitteltorturm, a unique Brick Gothic city gate which was also the model for the famous Oberbaumbrucke bridge towers in Berlin. From the medieval city gate, I then walked on and followed the nice promenade that runs next to the lake, which the sunny day made even more pleasant. From the lakeside, I then walked back towards the city center and through the beautiful city park that covers most of the southern part of the city. It was kept really well, with perfectly trimmed grass, nice flower arrangements, and a large diversity of plants. The edge of the park reached the southern medieval town walls and here they had decided to plant some vineyards. A plaque stated in fact that the sunny and steep slope of this side helped the growth of the vines, and apparently, they had been grown here since the 13th century by the friars of the nearby Dominican monastery. They were grown here until a severe winter which hit between 1739 and 1740 which eventually killed all the plants, marking an end to that type of industry here. However, in 2010 a revival of the vineyard was begun for the State Garden Show which then took place in 2013, and so today the vines can still be seen. From there, I then found an opening in the walls and walked back into the city, passing by the previously mentioned Dominican monastery. Its grounds and church are now used as a museum so I decided to skip visiting as I did not have the time to do so. Instead, I continued walking and passed by the nice Alte Nikolaikirche, the oldest church in town. Built in a Romanesque style during the 13th century it now just features the bell tower and part of the nave as the rest had been demolished already during the 17th century. From there I then went on and passed through the main square, which nowadays just featured modern buildings all around. Then I once again passed by the Stettiner Tor and exited the city from where I had come in the morning, heading back to the train station where I took the next train to the second town of the day: Angermünde. A few minutes train ride later, I reached the next town and headed towards the city center on foot. I passed by the southern end of the old town where a nice section of the medieval town walls has been preserved with one of the watchtowers, the Pulverturm, still standing as well. After the town walls, I then reached the Franciscan Monastery Church of St Peter and Paul, a nice single nave gothic church from the 14th century. The interior, now mostly empty, is used as an exhibition ground for modern art installations. From the church, I then continued my walk and passed through the nice central square, the Markt. At its center stands the town hall, a baroque building from the 17th century built over a pre-existing gothic one. Not much further I then reached and visited the town's main church, St Mary's church. Originally built during the 13th century it took its current form during the refurbishments that took place in the 15th and 16th centuries in a late brick Gothic style. Its interior, mostly remade in a neogothic style during the 19th century still holds some of its old furnishing and fittings. One of such is the beautiful baptismal font from the 14th century featuring 16 saints standing under arches. Another nice feature is the large baroque organ from 1744 by Joachim Wagner. After the visit to the church, i then headed back through the main square and in the direction of the city center, walking then along the Klosterstraße, one of the most beautiful in town as it sided by some picturesque timber-framed houses. Once I had reached the station it was then time to get the next train and reach the nearby village of Chorin. As I got off the train I then walked through the small village, made up of single low houses set along the main street. If it weren't for the cars parked I could have sworn I was back in time a couple of centuries. At the center of town, I also passed by the nice church, built in stone masonry during the late 13th century and featuring a wooden steeple. From there I then followed a nice trail that winded its way through the forest and eventually took me to the main attraction of the area, the Chorin Abbey. This large monastery, built during the 13th century far from any settlement, was once very powerful and control a large part of land around it. In fact, it belonged directly to the House of Ascania, the rulers of Brandenburg who had sponsored its construction and had great influence over it. However, when in 1542 those rulers of Brandenburg converted to Protestantism the monastery was then dissolved and put to various uses including serving as a livestock barn over the ensuing decades until it finally fell into disrepair. An architect from the romantic period, Karl Friedrich Schinkel, found the ruins fascinating and decided to work on restoring and rebuilding them. Nowadays the monastery holds a museum and is a popular place for cultural events and exhibitions. Once I arrived at the entrance, I paid the entry fee and went in from the southern side. I was then faced with the beautiful structure of the Brick Gothic complex, one of the most exemplative and beautiful of that style in the region. I entered the courtyard, which is closed on three sides, except the southern which was never restored and is thus open, and admired the nice arched galleries around. From the cloister, I then entered the main basilica church, which featured a large single nave structure, tall and full of light. I then continued on around the complex and entered several rooms, such as the chapter house, the cellars, and a beautiful kitchen with a main fireplace chimney at its center. Some of the rooms had some exhibited objects which were found or related to the monastery's history, such as utensils, manuscripts, or inscribed bricks. Before leaving the monastery I decided to walk around it and admire it from the exterior. Its beautiful Gothic style could be most admired when seeing the western facade, with its tall and elegant structure thought to be one of the best representatives of that style in the whole country. Right next to the monastery was a small lake called the Amtssee and before heading back to the train station I decided to walk around it following a marked trail. Once I had completed the walk around the perimeter I then finally headed back through the forest and reached the train station of Chorin where I took the next train to the nearby town of Eberswalde. The walk from the train station to the city center took a bit, passing through the modern neighborhoods of this once industrial town. The town was damaged during WWII, and that was noticeable as I reached the old town and noticed old and new architecture standing side by side. Here I walked around the small but nice city center, passing by the main church, that of Saint Madeleine, built in a typical gothic style but unfortunately closed at that time. Then I headed through the Markt, the main square, and along some nice streets with still some timber-framed houses here and there. Finally, it was time for me to head back to the train station where I maned to get the next train taking me back to Berlin just before sunset.