From Berlin, a direct train took me to the city of Wittenberge, on the far northwestern corner of the state of Brandenburg. Once there, I started heading towards the city center, like many towns, it suffered greatly during WWII with many historic buildings being destroyed, as well as later during the East German period when the ruins were removed to make way for cheap, fast housing for the re-growing population. I passed by the Rathaus, the town hall, built in 1914 to replace an older one, which was not enough for the growing population due to industrial development. I continued on through the quiet and empty streets passing by some examples of timber-framed houses and reached then the southern edge of town where the dike on the Elber River was set. I followed the dikes perimeter and then reached a grassy part of land directly on the river, from where I had a great view. At that point, I turned around and headed back through the city, reaching the main church built at the end of the 19th century with a 53m high bell tower. It was closed, so I moved on, passing by a larger timber-framed building known as the old castle, which now hosts a museum. Not far from there, I then reached the Steintor, originally from the 13th century but rebuilt in its current form in 1450, this medieval city gate in the only surviving and the oldest building in town. At that point, I headed to the nearby bus stop and waited for the next bus that brought me west all the way to the town of Lenzen, at the edge of Brandenburg, next to the border with Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania and Lower Saxony. Once there, I approached the old town from the east, passing by the Stumpfer Turm, the only remaining of three medieval tower gates that granted access to the town and part of the medieval walls surrounding the town. I then continued my tour of the pretty city center, made up of mostly nicely kept timber-framed houses. In the little main square, I then approached the church of St Catherine, a Gothic church with an 18th-century baroque rebuilt tower. It was closed, so I continued my walk, passing in front of the Prussian milepost signaling distances to nearby cities. I walked through other streets, enjoying the timber-framed structures, and then headed to the edge of town where the Burg Lenzen is set. Originally dating to the Middle Ages, it was extended and refurbished in the baroque period, taking its current form. Nowadays, the tower can be visited and climbed, part of the castle holds a visitor center for the Elbe-Brandenburg River Landscape Biosphere Reserve, while the other holds a vegan hotel. After that, I headed back to the town center and visited the rest of the pretty streets. Then it was time to go. As there was still quite a bit to the next bus, I decided to walk a bit and catch the bus later and a few stops after. I walked on a nice forest path along the nearby Rudower See, and then through some open and windy countryside, and through another forest before reaching the village of Sterbitz. It was in a circular form with sparse houses, and at its center, the village church, Gothic in form. Eventually, I reached the bus stop of the village and got the bus back to Wittenberge and then the train to Berlin.
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