Tom`s travels: Hike from Wriezen to Falkenberg (03/09/2022)

Back in Germany, I decided on a day hike from Berlin with Ania. We opted for one starting in the small town of Wriezen in eastern Brandenburg, and ending in Falkenberg, through some hilly terrain which is usually rare in these parts. Once we reached Wriezen's train station, we continued on foot and passed by the town's ruined church, St. Marien, a late Gothic brick church badly damaged in WWII and left to ruin until this day. Continuing onwards we then left the town heading northwards and soon after entering the forest, a nice mix of local deciduous trees and tall pine trees, which in the case of Brandenburg reach a whopping 70% coverage of the territory, quite apparent as we continued on our walk. After a while, we then reached the small village of Altranft, with a local baroque parish church and a baroque castle with the aspect of a mansion. After heading out of the village and re-entering the forest we then stopped at a bench to sit down and eat the lunch we had brought with us. Next to the picnic spot was a series of rocks laying around and marked with some signboards next to them. Apparently, they had moved during the last Ice Age and had come all the way down from Sweden. After lunch, we continued on our walk, wading through the thick pine forest for a few kilometers before reaching the town of Bad Freienwalde. We first came across the Galgenberg, a 26m tower built in 1879 and now used as a viewing platform. From there we descended downhill and entered the town proper. We walked through the nice small old town, reaching then the town's main church, St Nicholas. This late gothic church was originally built during the 13th century and then refurbished in the mid-15th century. Its bell tower burned down in 1867 and was rebuilt in its current neogothic style. The interior was mostly baroque with a small baptismal font from the 13th century. Not far from the church, slightly uphill, we then passed by the town castle. Built between the 18th and 19th centuries it was the summer residence of Prussian queen Frederica Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt, second spouse of Frederick William II of Prussia. We walked by it, a rather small residence, and then continued on through the castle park and then on into the forest once again. Here the trail headed up and down rather hilly terrain, granting us finally some worthy panoramas, quite rare in Brandenburg. We were averaging around 90 meters above sea level, reaching the highest spot at 111m. One of the nicest spots, overlooking a valley with hills around was known as Thüringer Blick, as it was reminiscent of the hilly landscape of Thuringia. We continued our walk through the nice forest, which in this area was more typical of the region, featuring deciduous trees such as beech, oak, and linden. Eventually, after several kilometers, we then reached the town of Falkenberg, the end of our hike, where we took then the train back to Berlin.