Tom`s travels: Beeskow & Storkow (07/12/2021)

On another day trip from Berlin, I decided to head southeast and visit a couple of towns in the state of Brandenburg. My first stop was the town of Beeskow, which, like the next one, featured a small medieval old town. Once there I got off the train, left the station, and headed south on foot until I reached the city center. Once there I came upon the medieval walls which once fully encircled the old town and now are still mostly surviving. The town though was damaged during WWII and most of the old houses and buildings had to be rebuilt in the following decades. From the city walls, I then walked on and reached the central and main square, the Markt. There was a market taking place and so a few people were walking about, despite the cold. To the east of it jutting out among the rooftops, I could easily spot the tall tower of the main church, the Mariekirche, which I then headed to visit. One of the largest brick Gothic churches in the Mark Brandenburg, built during the 14th century with the tower tip concluded at the beginning of the 16th century. Unfortunately, the church was closed, but either way, the interior did not hold much as it was mostly reconstructed after being nearly completely destroyed during the WWII air raids. Right in front of the church I then admired a timber-framed house, the oldest house in the city, built around 1482. From there I then walked further, leaving the walled old town to reach the Burg Beeskow, located on a small island surrounded by the Spree river. This castle was built probably around the 13th century and despite the damage, it suffered during WWII still holds part of its outer wall and buildings. It featured a nice reinforced central keep which is now used as a museum and at the time of my visit was surrounded by building materials as the whole complex was receiving a refurbishment. To the south of the castle, I then walked through a part of the island where some low houses were clustered together, probably once serving as a fishing village. I then crossed over the Spree and headed back into town, following the perimeter of the well-preserved walls of the southern part of the town. I passed by one of the towers, the Darrturm, and reached another tower that was once part of the main city gate to the south, the Luckauer Torturm. I continued along the walls and reached the nice western city gate with its medieval tower, the Munzturm. I then completed the round of the fortifications to the north and from there headed back to the center of town where the main square was located. I decided then to stop at a supermarket to grab some lunch and after that, it was time to head back to the train station and move on to the next town. On the way, I had my lunch, a sandwich, and some veggies and then got off the train at my next destination, the town of Storkow. From the train station, I headed on foot towards the city center and reached then the main monument in town, the Burg Storkow. The castle was probably built around the 12th century and later expanded during the 13th and 14th centuries. Unfortunately in 1978, the complex was destroyed by a fire and only restored between 2000 and 2009. Nowadays the castle is much smaller than it used to be with a few surviving buildings and hosts a restaurant and the local library in parts of its structure. From there I then headed on to reach the old town proper, passing through the large and elongated Marktplatz, the main square. In the center of the square was a large oak, known as the Friedenseiche, or peace oak, which dates from 1814.

To the north of the square, I then reached the main church, dating to the 14th century in a Brick Gothic style and with a 36m high tower. The church was closed so I continued walking around town, admiring the rest of the architecture. After the stroll, it was time to head back to the station and eventually back into Berlin.