Wusterhausen & Kyritz (09/10/2022)

On a sunny Sunday, I decided to do a day trip from Berlin and visit a few places east of the capital. I started our early by taking a train to Neustadt (Dosse). Once there, I got out of the train station and started walking northward until I reached the nearby village of Kampehl. Here I visited the local village church, the Dorfkirche Kampehl, built in the 13th century in fieldstone and partially refurbished during the 18th century. What's peculiar about this building though is that it holds, below ground level, in a small room next to the main church building, the family tomb of the von Kahlbutz family. Inside, in a glass case and as a tourist attraction, is the mummy of Christian Friedrich von Kahlbutz, a knight who died in 1702 at the age of 52. He is famous because of the state of preservation of his body while no noticeable mummification process was used upon his death shrouding it in an air of mystery. Legend has it that in 1690 as the lord of the land he took the bride of a shepherd from Bückwitz, but as she refused him he murdered the shepherd. Although there were no witnesses, the shepherd's bride, accused Kahlbutz of the murder and took him to court; however, as an aristocrat, he was then acquitted. Several years after, in 1783, the last of the von Kahlbutz line died and while the church was being renovated in 1794 the coffins in the church were to be moved to the cemetery. When the coffins were opened though, it was discovered that all of the corpses except that of the Knight Kahlbutz had decayed. The local populace at the time believed that it was God's punishment for the murder of the shepherd as ut had been said that Kahlbutz had sworn before the court, "It was not I, otherwise after my death my body will not decay". In the 1890s, Rudolf Virchow and Ferdinand Sauerbruch tested the mummy as did Charité, the largest university hospital in Europe, but all without success and it still remains a mystery as to why Kahlbutz's corpse has not decayed. One theory is that Kahlbutz suffered from some kind of illness, possibly tuberculosis which made him lose a great deal of blood before his death. He was then buried in an oak double coffin, which, combined with the loss of blood and lack of decay-accelerating materials in the soil, possibly prevented the corpse's bodily decay. I paid for the entry ticket and a friendly woman then gave me some pamphlets to read while I observed the interesting mummy. A small group of people then arrived and I tried to understand further as the woman then gave them an explanation in German. After the visit to that peculiar site, it was time for me to head on. I left the village and walked through the woods and open fields until I reached the next town, Wusterhausen. Once there I walked through the main square and headed on to the main church, St. Peter and Paul. It was built in a brick gothic style in the 14th century, from an earlier form dating from the previous century. It features a low thick bell tower attached to the front of the main hall nave. The interior was a mix of Gothic and Baroque, with traces of medieval frescoes, a Renaissance pulpit, a wooden crucifix from 1474, and the 18th-century baroque main altar and organ. After visiting the church I then walked around the rest of the old town, passing by some nice timber-framed houses. Then it was time to move on. I left Wusterhausen walking then along the shore of the Klempowsee. The trail ran along the western bank of the lake through a nice forest, and halfway up the body of water, I then decided to stop after finding a bench and eat the sandwich I had brought with me while admiring the view. After lunch, I continued along the shore and eventually reached a beach on the lake where I then turned westwards and left the lake and forest behind me soon after arriving in the town of Kyritz. Once there I walked along part of the surviving medieval walls which once fully encircled the old town, and then headed toward the center of town. I passed some nice timber-framed buildings, many dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, and reached then St. Mary's Church. Originally from the 12th century, it was rebuilt in the 14th century but burned down during the Thirty Years' War and rebuilt again around the beginning of the 18th century in a somewhat early neogothic style. Unfortunately, the church was closed so I could only see it from the outside. I walked then to the nearby Marktplatz, with the nice 19th-century brick town hall and all around its perimeter some old timber-framed houses as well as more modern ones. After one last walk around the rest of the old town, it was time to head to the train station from where I then took my train back to Berlin. 

The way to Kampehl

The church in Kampehl

The Kalebuz knight mummy

On the way to Wusterhausen

The main square and church of Wusterhausen

The interior of the church

Fall colors and the Dosse river

The Klempowsee

Another view of the lake

Fall colors

A street in the old town of Kyritz

The Marienkirche in Kyritz

Kyritz's main square

Old townhouses in the city center

Müncheberg, Seelow & Kostrzyn nad Odrą (08/10/2022)

On another October weekend, we decided to visit a few towns to the east of Berlin and then end the trip in Poland. Our first stop was the town of  Müncheberg which we reached after taking a train to the train station, located quite far from the city center, and then a bus that took us from the station to the old town. Here we first saw the Berliner Tor, one of the only two defensive towers once part of the medieval walls which encircled the city, it is colloquially referred to as the powder tower, due to its previous use as such. From there we then walked following part of the surviving city walls and then reached the center of town where the St. Marien church was located. This gothic brick building, which was badly damaged and burned during WWII and rebuilt in the 1990s, was unfortunately closed so we could see it from the outside. It presented a rather unusual bell tower, attached to the church through a suspended bridge-like walkway over a pointed arch. Like the church, much of the town suffered devastation during the last war, and so its historical center has now mostly disappeared and been replaced by typical Soviet-style block buildings known as plattenbau. On the eastern end of town, we then saw the other remaining defensive tower, Küstriner Torturm, quite plain in its circular simple form. After our walk around the center, we then took another bus this time bringing us to the next town, Seelow. Seelow was the location of one of the last major pitched battles in Europe during the Second World War known as the Battle of the Seelow Heights. In this battle, from 16 to 19 April 1945, Soviet troops under Marshal Zhukov opened the way to Berlin, resulting in the town being largely destroyed. Once there we walked through the town center, passing by the 19th-century neoclassical church rebuilt after the war. Just east of the city center we then reached the Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen, the memorial to the famous battle. Erected in 1945, with the museum then added in 1972, it features a monument showing a soldier of the Red Army with a submachine gun standing next to the tower of a destroyed German tank. Around it are the graves of over 7,000 Soviet soldiers, most of which were never found and buried, and thus with only a few tombstones having names on them. Also on-site are five military devices, a cannon, a grenade launcher, a howitzer, a Katyusha rocket launcher, and a T-34 tank. As the name suggests the memorial sits on a hill overlooking the plain formed by the Oder river all the way to the nearby Polish border. After walking around the grounds and admiring and learning from this sad part of history, we then headed back into town. From there we were then able to take a bus to the train station, a few kilometers north of town and from there get a ride to the town of Küstrin-Kietz, right on the border with Poland. From here we then decided to walk over the border and into the town of Kostrzyn nad Odrą. As we crossed the Odra/Oder River, which forms a natural border between the two countries, we then entered the grounds of the former Kostrzyn Fortress. Once this was the old city of Küstrin, which like the typical medieval towns featured a castle, churches, and an old town. Beginning in the 16th century the town was then surrounded by a fortification, in the typical Italian style, made to endure modern gunpowder warfare. The fortress was used throughout the centuries and particularly during WWII when, following the devastations of the war, and the siege in 1945 of the advancing Red Army, the town inside was completely destroyed. Now only the streets outline remains, with just a few foundations of the main buildings, such as the castle, cathedral, and town hall testifying that there was once a city there. We entered the complex through the northwestern gate, Brama Berlińska, the best-preserved city gate. From there we then walked through the streets of what was once the old town, with trees and plants growing among the former city blocks. Past the ruins of the church and castle, we then went on top of the Bastion Brandenburgia from where we then had a great view of the Odra river flowing right below the ramparts. After enjoying the view, despite the light rain that started drizzling, we then walked around the rest of the fortress and then out towards the modern city center. We walked over a bridge crossing the Warta River, which just a couple of hundred meters further down joins the Odra River, and then reached the center of Kostrzyn. Here we stopped at a place called Artisan, where Ania had a salad while I had a kotlet schabowy with mashed potatoes and cabbage with pepper plus a beer. After lunch, we then headed to a nearby supermarket where we then bought quite some groceries to bring home with us. We headed to the bus station and from there took a bus back to Germany, switching in Küstrin-Kietz where we then took the train back to Berlin.

The Berliner Tor in Müncheberg

The medieval city walls

The church of St. Marien

The Küstriner Torturm

The church in Seelow

The Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen

The monument with the Red Army soldier

The T-34 tank and Katyusha rocket launcher 

The Odrą river near Kostrzyn

The Brama Berlińska

The now empty streets of old Küstrin

View of the river from the bastions

Ludwigslust (02/10/2022)

On the first October weekend, coming back from Hamburg to Berlin, we decided to stop and visit the town of Ludwigslust, halfway between the two cities. Once we reached the city's train station we got on foot and continued on foot through the town. After a bit of walking, we then reached the main monument, Schloss Ludwigslust, known as the Versailles of the North. The Palace began as a simple hunting lodge for Prince Christian Ludwig, the heir of the Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. It was just 36km south of the ducal capital, Schwerin, and the Prince passed most of his time at the residence, which he called Ludwigslust, or Ludwig's joy. In 1765, Luwig's son, Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, made Ludwigslust the capital of the duchy instead of Schwerin and in the years between 1772 and 1776 had a new residence built, thus making the little town turn into a royal residential city. The Late Baroque palace presents a large central structure in the form of an E. Behind it is a large English landscape garden while in front it opens up with a large square and cascade towards the town church and the rest of the town. Once we reached the building we proceeded to buy the entry ticket and visited its lavish interior. Mostly neoclassical in style, the rooms had original historical decor and furniture, sometimes from other palaces and castles in the surroundings, as well as a nice collection of paintings including some vedute of Venice. We walked through several rooms, including the duchess' bedroom, and the Goldener Saal, a huge two-story hall occupying both main floors located in the central part of the palace which can be seen from the exterior and lavishly decorated as it functioned as a festival and ballroom. After visiting the interior, we then came out once again and went on to walk around the large park around the palace. Leaving the main structure behind us, we walked along the main avenue lined by trees until we then reached another structure, the Schweizerhaus. Continuing onwards we then walked alongside a nice canal with little waterfalls before we reached the neogothic church of St. Helena and Andreas. After the walk around the park, we were back at the palace and decided then to visit the rest of the town. We walked to the nearby Stadkirche, located at the end of a symmetrical square formed by the houses that once served as living quarters for the palace's staff. The church was built around the same time as the palace and is baroque in style. Its interior featured a large fresco behind and above the main altar representing the Annunciation to the shepherds. After visiting the nice church we then moved on and walked through the geometrical streets of the city center, passing by some nice 18th and 19th-century houses. Walking along main and minor streets we then eventually headed back to the train station from where we then took our train to Berlin. 

Schloss Ludwigslust

One of the rooms of the palace

Another room

The Goldener Saal

And yet another room

The park surrounding the palace

The main canal

The neogothic church of St. Helena and Andreas

View of the palace

The Stadkirche

Interior of the church

A street in the city center

Briesetal (25/09/2023)

On another September weekend, my friend Francesco and I decided to go hiking somewhere near Berlin. I suggested heading to the Briesetal, a small forested area around the Briese River, just north of the city boundaries and south of Oranienburg. We took an S-bahn and then reached the station of Birkenwerder from where we began our hike. We walked shortly and entered the forest eventually reaching the start of the trail. We followed the path, running alongside the Briese, which in many sections formed small lakes and ponds, rather green and marshy and full of trees and tree stumps. The whole forest along the river consisted of the local greenery, mostly deciduous trees. At one point we then reached a hut in a small opening, the Alte Försterei Wensickendorf. They served some food and drinks but we had brought food from home, so we just found one of the picnic tables set beside the hut and ate our sandwiches. After that we continued walking, leaving the Briese River and its valley behind us and heading deep into the forest which at this point consisted of the usual man-planted pines. The sun had started to show itself and warmed us up a little as we continued on the hike. A little further on we passed by some more ponds and lakes, this time much larger in size and once again surrounded by the local deciduous forest. We then reached the shores of the Mühlenbecker See which we walked beside for a little while before reaching then yet again another pond, the Mühlenteich, right beside the previous lake. Between the two was the Schloss Dammsmühle, a neo-baroque palace built in 1896 and currently under refurbishment. We walked past it and further into the forest until after a couple more kilometers we then reached the remote train station of Schönwalde from where we eventually managed to get the train back to Berlin.

One of the swampy ponds formed by the Briese

Another pond

A path through the forest

Typical pine forest

The Mühlenbecker See

The Mühlenteich

Another path through the forest

Rheinsberg Palace (04/09/2022)

On a sunny Sunday, our friend Miriam, Ania, and I decided to take Miriam's car and drive to the town of Rheinsberg and visit its famous castle. The ride was just over an hour, and after reaching the destination we parked the car in a parking lot close to the town's main monument. From there we then walked through part of its lovely laid-out garden, entering by the southern gate. A small bridge then led to the castle proper, located on a small island, surrounded by the park and on the eastern shore of the Grienericksee. The castle, which is actually more of a palace, is a classic example of the so-called Frederician Rococo architecture style and served as a basis for Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam. Originally, a medieval moated castle used to stand on its spot, then rebuilt in 1566 as a water castle in the Renaissance style. After being damaged during the Thirty Years' War, it was then sold the following century, in 1734 to the Prussian king, Frederick William I, who, in turn, gave it to his son, Crown Prince Frederick, later King Frederick the Great. Frederick the Great moved into the palace's southern wing with his wife, Princess Elisabeth Christine in 1736 and had then the structure considerably extended and improved in the following years. Frederick himself described his years at Rheinsberg Palace as the happiest of his life but he then had to leave in 1740 when he ascended to the throne. His brother Henry inherited the building having it further worked on until it got its present neoclassical aspect. After reaching the castle we admire its elegant architecture from the side facing the lake which opens up towards it and with two flanking towers. We enjoyed the nice view of the palace and the lake and then proceeded to visit the interior of the building. We bought the entry ticket and then went on to visit the many rooms with the restored original Frederician interior decoration from the mid-18th century. We passed through some really impressive rooms, many of which were also important such as the Hall of Mirrors, the Shell Hall, the bedrooms of the monarchs, and others. The rooms were also decorated with furniture and decor from the palace's period, including some nice paintings and tapestries. On the ground floor was also an interesting vaulted room with scenery inspired by Italian palace grottoes. After the visit to the interior, we then headed back out, and walked a little more through the lovely gardens, reaching the western side of the lake from where we had a picturesque view of the palace reflecting on the waters. Here was also a tall obelisk on a low-sloping hill facing the castle, erected in 1790 by Henry to honor his brother Prince Augustus William of Prussia and other generals and soldiers who had fought during the Seven Years' War. From this nice viewpoint, we then headed back to the palace and walked around it and then on through the town grown around the building. We stopped for ice cream and then decided it was time to go back to Berlin.

Rheinsberg Palace

The Grienericksee seen from the Palace

Entrance to the palace

The Hall of Mirrors

Another view of the room

The Shell Hall

A room with paintings

The vaulted room

The palace seen from the front

The palace and the Grienericksee

Another view of the palace and gardens

The obelisk