Tom`s travels: Gusow, Neuhardenberg, & Altfriedland (23/11/2024)

For the weekend, I decided to visit a few towns in the eastern part of Brandenburg, not far from Berlin. I took a train and reached the station of Seelow-Gusow, heading northwards from there to reach the small town of Gusow. Once there, I passed by the Schloss Gusow, originally probably a Gothic castle expanded and refurbished in the 18th century, and completely restructured in its current neo-Gothic style around 1873. I could only see it from the outside, and it looked a bit run down, but nevertheless quite nice to see. Continuing on through town, I passed by the village church, a Gothic building expanded during the 17th century but damaged during WWII and thus rebuilt thereafter. As it was also closed, that meant that I had to continue my walk by just seeing it from the outside. Leaving the town behind, I then followed the cycling path along a main road leading through the countryside and eventually reaching the town of Neuhardenberg. Spread out along a thin line of houses on each side of the main street passing through the town, it featured a castle at its western edge. The Neuhardenberg Schloss was built at the end of the 18th century and then expanded and refurbished in its current neoclassical style around 1822 by the famous architect Schinkel. On the street side was the church, also built by Schinkel, with an obelisk in front of it, and then to the south, the rest of the complex with the main palace building and the service buildings to the side of it, including the former orangerie. Behind it, a nice English garden which I walked through. After the walk around, I then continued on the cycling path along the road and passed by the Napoleon Eiche, a more than 350-year-old oak tree which is said Napoleon Bonaparte had rested under on his campaign to Russia in 1812. A little further on I then reached the village of Altfriedland, Known for its once grand monastery, today it is a rather sleepy village. The Friedland monastery was probably founded during the 13th century by the Cistercian order. After the reformation, the monastery buildings were used for agricultural purposes and as living spaces, and then slowly, many were left to ruin. Nowadays, only the church and part of the refectory survive. Despite the refectory being closed, I could admire its Gothic vaults and architecture from the exterior. I then visited the church, refurbished in a baroque style in the 18th century it then also received a new bell tower in 1864 after a plan by Schinkel. Once I visited the church I had one more walk round the village and eventually waited for my bus to take me to a nearby train station and then back to Berlin.