Tom`s travels: Ziesar (20/08/2024)

After work, I decided to take advantage of the nice weather and go visit the town of Ziesar. Leaving Berlin I took a train and then switched to a bus, eventually reaching the aforementioned town. I got off in the town center and headed to visit the parish church, St. Crucis. Built in a Romanesque style in the 13th century it was refurbished and thus its interior is more modern. From the church, I then walked over to the town's main monument, the castle. Located on the southern side of town it features a fortified complex with surviving walls, several buildings, a church, and the keep tower. Originally dating to the 10th century, it was then rebuilt starting from the 13th century in current Romanesque brick style. The castle served the bishops of Brandenburg as a residence from the 14th to the 16th century, however, once the reformation happened the era of Ziesar as a bishop’s residence came to an end. The castle, then remained the administrative seat until 1819, before moving into private hands until it was nationalized after the war in 1945. From the 1950s to the 1990s, the castle served educational purposes and included a boarding school. Nowadays it hosts a museum which I went to visit. I first climbed to the top of the 35m high fieldstone keep from where I had a great view of the complex. the town and the surrounding landscape. Then I headed to the main building where the museum was laid out. The kind lady at the entrance gave a pamphlet that detailed the exhibits in English. Among the modernized rooms were traces of the old structures including the medieval heating system below the floor, romanesque and gothic window arches, and other building features. As I walked through the rooms I admired the medieval artifacts including a 12th-century baptismal font and a 14th-century crucifix. A highlight was the so-called Jerusalem room, which featured partially surviving faded wall paintings from the 13th to the 15th centuries featuring Jesus, saints, and buildings, rivers, and streets hypothesized to represent the holy city. Also on the lower floor, another room features some nice and well-preserved 15th-century paintings. Next up I then visited the adjoining castle chapel, dedicated to St Peter and Paul. Built around 1470 in a brick gothic style its exterior is typical of Brandenburg however its interior is a marvel unlike others in the region. In fact, its beautifully preserved paintings from around 1500 decorate the ceiling and walls with green, blue, and red hues symbolizing the greenery of the Garden of Eden, the blue of heaven, and the red of masonry. It also features large paintings in the three left wall niches depicting Jesus, Madonna, and some kind of paradise tree. After visiting the church I headed back into the main building and completed the tour of the museum by visiting the remaining rooms that held a temporary exhibit with late 19th and early 20th century paintings of surrounding landscapes and towns including Ziesar itself. Heading out I then left the castle courtyard and walked around the complex admiring it from different points and perspectives. I then passed by the Storchenturm, a brick tower, and the only surviving part of what was once the outer wall of the castle. It is now standing solitary a few meters from the entrance but surrounded by a nice park. From there I then headed through town, walking along its main street acting as a kind of elongated square, the Breiter Weg, sided by old houses and buildings. Like other parts of Brandenburg and beyond it was sad to see many were empty, with the store signs faded and dating to many years back. Eventually I reached the bus stop and got my ride back to Berlin.