Strausberg (29/08/2024)

After work, I decided to go on a hike somewhere not far from Berlin. I took the S-bahn and reached the station of Strausberg Stadt. Once there, I got off and continued on foot, heading towards the city center of Strausberg. This town featured a small but nice old town, having been founded around the 13th century. Walking around town I noticed some traces of its history spanning from the surviving medieval walls on the eastern edge of town, to the nice timber-framed houses or tenement houses from the 18th and 19th centuries. At one point I reached the Marienkirche, the town's main church dating from the 13th century and a mix of Romanesque and Gothic also considered one of the largest fieldstone churches in Brandenburg. The church was unfortunately closed so I just walked around it admiring it from the exterior. Nearby I then walked through the main square and headed out of town walking northwards. I started walking along the shoreline of the Straussee, a large lake in the form an S that borders the town. The first part, close to town was packed with people, especially the tiny beaches found here and there. The northern side which I reached after a bit of walking had no one as it was out of the way and without a real beach or cove. However, as I continued further walking through the forested western side of the lake I found again more people as there were larger spots of grass or sand and probably easier to reach. I found a spot with not so many people and decided to stop and have a quick swim as it was quite warm still. I then laid down on the sand and enjoyed a short break. Continuing onwards I then found another spot and had another swim. Here I met a guy who after talking about the water quality and weather asked where I was from and what I was doing. I told him about my hike and was surprised I was walking all around the lake as people usually do it by bicycle only he told me. After saying goodbye I walked on, finally getting to the opposite end of the lake from the town. Here, at its narrowest point, I was able to take some good photos of the old town with the light approaching sunset. After some more walking, I had completed the loop of the lake and was back in Strausberg, going to catch the next S-bahn home. 

Strausberg's old town

The church of St Mary

A street in the old town

A busy beach on the northeastern shore of the Straussee

A small beach

A zoomed in view of Strausberg's old town from the western shore

The old town on the lake

Pfaueninsel (28/08/2024)

After work, Ania and I decided to head to visit the Pfaueninsel, or Peacock Island, an island in the River Havel close to Potsdam. After reaching Berlin Wannsee station we got off and hopped on a bus that took us to the northern edge of the Westlicher Düppeler Forest where we were then able to take the little ferry that in just a few meters took us to the island. The ticket included both the ferry and the entry into the island which is part of the Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin UNESCO World Heritage Site as well as a a nature reserve. Once off the ferry boat, we started walking along the island's perimeter, passing by the first building of many, the frigate boathouse built in 1833 specifically to hold the miniature frigate gifted by the British King George IV to the Prussian King Frederick William III to commemorate the victory over Napoleon. Nowadays only a copy of that original, which was scrapped after WWII, survives and is held there during the winter months. Nearby we then walked through a nice small garden with plants, herbs, and some vines. Next up we passed the Maschinenhaus, a steam engine built in 1822 to bring a regular water supply to the island by pumping the river's water uphill and then through the rest of the island in pipes. Walking further we then reached the Beelitzer Jagdschirm, a peculiar bark-covered building that served as a hunting cabin. The interior of the first floor had a salon for the hunting party with curtains and wallpaper while the basement had holes from which the hunters could shoot aquatic birds. Continuing along the perimeter we reached the northern part of the island where a gothic-like structure was set. Looking like a church this is actually a dairy farm built at the end of the 19th century and still has sheep roaming around. As we continued on we noticed a small pond and saw something move it in. As it was in the shadows and the figures dark we couldn't make out what it was until we saw one of its horns move. They were water buffaloes just enjoying a nice cooling bath in the muddy pond. After this incredible sight, we then walked over to another building, a Greek temple built as a grave monument for Queen Louise. Heading then to the core of the island we found a large aviary with birds of all kinds, many of which exotic. Once the whole island itself was a mix of architecture, nature, and animals with many people from Berlin coming specifically to see the king's menagerie that held alligators, buffalos, kangaroos, monkeys, chameleons, wolves, eagles, lions, lamas, bears, beavers and peacocks. The number of animals peaked at over 900, from over 100 species, while today only the aviary is what remains of that menagerie. Not far from there we then passed by another building, the Kavaliershaus built at the beginning of the 19th century and expanded a couple of decades later by Karl Friedrich Schinkel. Interestingly an additional tower-like structure was added to its side by using a Gothic house from Gdansk. This structure actually had a long history. It is said that the bricks for the façade of the house were made in Venice around 1360 for parts of a palace in Nuremberg and in 1480, the late Gothic façade was transported to Gdansk for a house there. The gothic house was crumbling and in need of repair and being too costly was thus dismantled and sold at auction, being then bought for the King of Prussia Friedrich Wilhelm III and eventually brought to the peacock island. Moving onwards we reached the western part of the island where the Schloss, or palace was set. It was the first structure to be completed, built in 1797 as a summer residence for the king and to be seen from his Marmorpalasi in Potsdam, across the water. The palace was under refurbishment and so we continued on to reach the last structure on the island, the Schweizerhaus. This was a representation of the romantic ideal of closeness to nature as Swiss houses were widely used in European landscape gardens during the Romantic period in the 19th century. Finally after our walk we were back at the start and we waited then for the ferry to take us back to the mainland and from there head home. 

The short ferry to the Pfaueninsel

The Maschinenhaus

A view of the Havel from the island

The Meierei

Another view of the dairy farm

The structures around the farm

The Kavaliershaus

Flowers around the island

The Pfaueninsel Schloss

The Schweizerhaus

The facade of the Swiss house

Vetschau (27/08/2024)

After work, I decided to visit a town and hike a little outside of Berlin. I took a train and headed southeast reaching the town of Vetschau near the Spreewald, the cultural landscape area and large inland delta of the river Spree. Once there, from the station I headed on to the old town on foot. I reached the main square, the Markt, surrounded by a mix of older and newer buildings, and then walked over to the nearby parish church. Called the Wendish German double church, it consists of two single-nave church buildings set side by side. Originally dating to the 13th century, during the Christianisation of the Wends living in the area, the church burnt down in the 17th century. It was then rebuilt, most probably after the Thirty Years' War, and came to be known as the Wendish church. Slowly, while the surrounding countryside remained largely dominated by the Wends, the percentage of Germans in town started to increase and thus a new church was built attached to the first shortly after. The church though featured a single bell tower, built at the beginning of the 18th century. As I got there though I found the building closed and thus could only admire it from the outside. Not too far from there I then passed by the oldest house in town, a nice timber-framed building dating to 1710. A short walk then led me to the castle, built in a Renaissance style in 1538 over a previous Slavic ring wall and refurnished in the 19th century. It now functions as the town's administration building so I couldn't visit it but I walked around the surrounding park admiring the views. At that point, I left town and started walking westwards taking a minor road through the open countryside. I passed several fields, including some dry and wizened-looking sunflowers. Continuing on I then reached the shore of the Bischdorfer See, an artificial lake made up from the filling of a lignite open-cast mine closed in 1996. I walked along the eastern shore and after a bit reached the Slawenburg Raddusch, a largely faithful replica of a Slavic fortress from the 9th century built between 1999 and 2003 and used as a museum. As it was past closing time I could not visit it but instead walked around it to admire what many fortresses in the area would've looked like. Eventually, after a bit more walking I reached the train station of Raddusch from where I took my ride back to Berlin.

A street in the old town of Vetschau

The Wendish German double church

A street in the old town

Schloss Vetschau

Another view of the castle

The Bischdorfer See

The Slawenburg Raddusch

Freyenstein & Meyenburg (25/08/2024)

On a day trip from Berlin, I decided to head to northern Brandenburg and visit a couple of towns. After taking the train and then a bus I arrived in the town of Freyenstein. Here I first headed to visit the town's main attraction, the castle. The castle actually consists of two castles, the new and the old. The Neues Schloss located on the main road, originally started as a small house in the 15th century and then rebuilt in its current style in the 17th century. It was built next to the medieval Wittstock gate, once part of the walls encircling the town. Around the castle was a nice park and at the other end of the Altes Schloss, the old castle. This originally dated to the 14th century and took its current renaissance style in the 16th century. It was once much larger and with a moat around it but it was heavily damaged during the Thirty Years' War and partially ruined leaving only the southwestern wing. From the castles, I then walked westward to reach the Archaeological Park. This used to be the site where the town of Freyenstein, once called Vrigenstene, was located and founded in 1263. The town was destroyed several times during military conflicts and eventually, in 1287, it was decided not to rebuild the town on the old site, but to relocate it to the adjacent lowlands to the north-east, where it is set nowadays. What remained of the old settlement was abandoned, its buildings and stone used for construction, and the foundations covered to be used as arable land. The place is now a rare and important archaeological site as it allows unique insights into the former appearance of a medieval town that didn't develop like other towns throughout the centuries and stayed as it once was in the 13th century. I didn't go inside the park but still managed to see it from the outside. Then I walked back into town and walked the main street until I reached the main square. There was also the parish church of St Mary, built in a Gothic style in the 14th century. Unfortunately, it was closed so I continued on my visit to the rest of the town. Once I was done, I left Freyenstein heading westwards through the countryside. I followed a partly paved road with thick stones lined by so many apple trees. As I walked I picked a couple of apples to eat on the way. Then I came across a rapeseed field in bloom with its bright yellow color, quite surprising at the end of August, especially as nearby was an already cut field of wheat and a fully ripe one of corn. I then reached the village of Schmolde with its small nice church built in a timber-framed style in 1730. After some more walking, I passed through another village, Penzlin, with the Guthaus, a manor house, originally dating to the 16th century but refurbished during the 18th and 19th centuries. A bit more walking eventually led me to the town of Meyenburg. Here I walked through the old town, admiring the nice architecture. The town was damaged during the Thirty Years' War and also in 1795 when a great fire largely destroyed it. The houses were then rebuilt after the fire and there are still some nice timber-framed ones from that period. On the northern end of town, I reached the nice castle, originally dating to the 14th century but refurbished in the 19th century in a neo northern German Renaissance style. It holds a fashion museum nowadays so I skipped visiting the interior. In the nearby park, I then sat on a bench and ate my sandwich while enjoying some sun. Next to it I then passed the parish church, with the main building dating to the 18th century that had survived the fire and the bell tower rebuilt in a neogothic style in 1850. Finall,y after one last round of the town admiring the rest I then eventually reached the train station from where I took a ride back to Berlin.

The Neues Schloss in Freyenstein

The Altes Schloss

View of the complex

The pond just outside the old town

The church of St Mary

A rapeseed field

The church in Schmolde

The Guthaus Penzlin

The Schloss Meyenburg

A street in the old town

Zittau Mountains (24/08/2024)

On a day trip, Ania and I decided to head south to Saxony to an area known as the Zittau Mountains. This hilly area which reaches a maximum elevation of 793m is located in the southeastern part of the state and straddles the the Saxon-Bohemian border. After taking a couple of trains we switched to a bus and then reached the town of Oybin. Scenically set in a small valley surrounded by these hills with the typical and beautiful sandstone formations, it has been a popular spot for 19th-century romantic painters such as Caspar David Friedrich as well as a place for rest and recuperation being a Kurort, a certified spa resort. We walked through the tiny town center and started ascending the hill named like the town. Shortly up our climb, we came upon the Bergkirche, a beautiful baroque church built in 1734. Its peculiarity was that the interior followed the slope of the hill and thus had a kind of gradient seating from the door down to the high altar. Furthermore, it was beautifully decorated with wooden painted fittings. Continuing on up we then passed through the sandstone formations, sided by tall pillars and walls of stone. We took some of the most scenic narrow passes through these formations which like others in the area have always enticed me. Eventually, after the climb we reached the hilltop at about 514m where the castle and monastery of Oybin are located. The castle was originally built during the 14th century and then the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV had an imperial house built here as well as a monastery which was given to the Celestine order. During the Hussite Wars, the castle was attacked but managed to resist. However, with the Reformation the monastery was dissolved and the slow decay began. Following heavy damage during the 16th century by lightning and then rockfall in the 17th century, the whole complex was abandoned and later used as a quarry. In the 19th century, the place attracted Romantic painters such as Caspar David Friedrich and Carl Gustav Carus, as well as others, who made the picturesque ruins famous around the world with their landscapes. After paying for the ticket we entered the complex and followed the main path going through a first and then second gate. At the top we entered the church, still featuring the exterior walls but without a roof. It was a beautiful example of Gothic architecture in which master builders from the Prague Cathedral participated. The place was made even more beautiful by a violinist and piano player playing music inside the nave. Climbing the partly surviving southern tower to the top we then also had a great view of the ruins, and surrounding rocky and mountainous landscape. Back down we then visited the rest including the castle part with the imperial house, as well as the picturesque cemetery, and the high point of Oybin Hill. From here we had an amazing view and in the distance could easily make out the city of Zittau. Particularly nice was also the view from the cemetery of the church and castle built on the cliffside over a deep rocky ravine. After visiting the complex we headed back into town and then walked through to start our ascent of the next set of hills. The climb was quite easy and consistent, eventually leading to the Töpfer a 582m high hill. Here was a mountain hut packed with people as well as a flat part of the rocks with a cross and an incredible view. Straight ahead was the city of Zittau and the plains surrounding it while to the right was the Turów Coal Mine and thermal power station of the Polish town of Bogatynia and further the Czech Jizera Mountains. After enjoying the view we walked along the ridgeline admiring many rock formations which here take all kinds of shapes and forms and get funny names such as the Brooding Hen, the Turtle, or the Parrot. Walking along the ridgeline we saw some nice viewpoints among the rock formations and admired the panorama mostly facing toward Czechia, but with the occasional viewpoint of Oybin as well. We followed the path heading downhill until we crossed a road and followed the path back up another hill. We reached the top at an altitude of 749m where a 25m high stone lookout tower was built at the end of the 19th century. Some few hundred meters away, on a twin peak, we then reached a mountain hut with a beautiful viewpoint. Here ran the border line between Germany and Czechia and from the Czech side of the hut a lookout provided an amazing view of the Czech hilly landscape. From there, after enjoying the view we walked downhill on the other side and reached the village of Hain. We continued walking through nice countryside and thick forest until we reached another area with rocky formations. The site used to have quarries and we passed an old wooden smithy, before walking through a man-made path sided by high rock walls and a viewpoint. Here down below was the Schwarzes Loch, or black hole, a 50m deep rock cauldron with high walls only accessible through a rock-cut staircase and like others in the area used as a quarry. We continued on along the path and saw other rock formations, like the ones from before, with interesting names such as the large and small organs due to them looking like organ tubes. After reaching the border once again we followed the path around a gorge and eventually reached the last large rock formation, the Nonnenfelse, or Nuns' Rock. A steep stone staircase led up, sided by tall rock walls to the top of the formation. A hut was located here but it had unfortunately closed, as we had hoped to get a beer or something to snack. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the view from the top with the light turning golden as the sun was starting to go down. After a walk through some more scenic rocky outcrops, we eventually headed downhill and reached the town of Jonsdorf just in time to catch our bus and then later train back home.

Old townhouse in Oybin

The Bergkirche

Entrance to the monastery castle

The ruins of the church

View form the top

Gothic windows

The cemetery next to the church

View of the cliffs below the monastery castle

The Töpferbaude inn

View towards Zittau

The trail through the forest

View towards Oybin

The Schwarzes Loch

The stairs to the Nonnenfelsen

View from the top of the Nonnenfelsen