Tom`s travels: Plattenburg & Bad Wilsnack hike (21/05/2023)

On another partly sunny weekend day, Ania and I decided to do another hike, this time west of Berlin. We took a train and ended up in Glöwen where we began our hike. We first traversed the whole town, built along a central long and straight road, and then started the actual hike by walking through a forested area. Along the way, there were a lot of insects, especially mosquitoes and flies, and we hadn't remembered to put the bug spray on or carry it with us. We continued on nonetheless, following the path in a mostly straight fashion. Around us, the majority of the plants were the tall pines typical of Brandenburg, which made the surrounding ground rather arid and sandy. We continued so for several kilometers, enjoying the peace and quiet as there were only the two of us with no one around. Eventually, the pines gave way to the deciduous forest, much more green and lush, and a short while after we reached the Plattenburg. Dating to the 14th century it is considered a water castle as it was once surrounded by a moat and a watery landscape. Nowadays only a part of it still has water around it and there are several other buildings scattered around as well. We entered the complex by walking through its southern entrance gate, reaching the spacious central courtyard. On one side the main building and keep and to the other service buildings such as the castle chapel. We first entered the latter, built in a brick style, but like the rest of the complex evidently restored during the late 19th century. The interior of the chapel in fact looked rather refurbished with the bricks bright red, well-polished, and evidently quite new. From the chapel, we walked back across the courtyard and reached the main building now used as hotel rooms, wedding halls, and a restaurant on its ground floor. We managed to see the rooms of the restaurant which looked quite nice, with arched ceilings, old fireplaces and furniture, and decorated portals. We sat then on a bench outside in the courtyard outside and enjoyed the sandwiches we had brought with us for lunch. After the break we were back on track, leaving the castle behind us and following the path onwards towards the town of Bad Wilsnack. Apparently, a waymarked sign told us we were now following the pilgrimage way which all the way from Berlin leads to Bad Wilsnack. The way was rather easy, short, and enjoyable. It first led us through some open fields, quite sandy and dry as it hadn't rained in a long while and the abnormally hot temperatures of May were already scoring the earth; the path then continued on through a forested area consisting mostly of those typical red pines found throughout the surrounding countryside. Eventually, after several kilometers, we approached the town of Bad Wilsnack. Once there we headed towards the city center and to visit its main sight, the church of St Nicholas. Dating to the 13th century, it was then rebuilt in its current brick gothic style between the 15th and 16th centuries. This is because the church is famous for its three hosts, which survived a fire in 1383 that burned the first church and village to the ground. The hosts were thus seen as miraculous and became the destination of medieval religious pilgrimages for nearly two centuries. When the Reformation occurred, among its principal pillars were the fight against indulgences and the thoughtless belief in miracles and their financial exploitation, so the hosts were destroyed by reformers in 1558. Its tall and wide hall layout interior was impressive to look at, and inside was a nice 15th-century altarpiece, some medieval statues and figures, the baptismal font, and the wooden shrine from the 15th century where once the hosts were kept. After visiting the church we headed out and strolled around town admiring the rest of the city center which included some timber-framed houses. We then sat for a dessert and drink in a cafe in front of the church before eventually heading to the train station from where we took the ride back to Berlin.