The main characters are pretty manor houses, castles, parks and many small picturesque gems along a section of the Brandenburg Castle Tour. You will return refreshed and inspired from this wonderful nature and rural tranquility.
Your late riser highlights:
- Dreamlike, quiet and wide: Glide along former railway lines, along forests, fields and meadows, observe the rural hustle and bustle in street and village greens with small houses and huge brick barns
- Noble, cultured and fairytale-like: Explore castles and manor houses with natural parks and follow in the footsteps of the Templars in Brandenburg
- Water-rich and protected: through the Madlitz landscape conservation area - Falkenhagen lake district and nature reserves past 15 lakes - swimming opportunities included
- Delicious and regional: many stop-over opportunities for snacks, ice cream, cakes & co.
Goal: Seelow Gusow station
Length: 45 km / 3,5 - 4h
Public transport: RE1 e.g. from Berlin Ostkreuz to Briesen station
Departure public transport: RB26 from Seelow-Gusow station to Berlin Lichtenberg / Ostkreuz (hourly)
Directions:
At the train station in Briesen, keep right and follow Frankfurter Straße. The adventure begins.
Wooded start into the gently rolling land between Oder and Spree
The RE1 takes you and your bike out into the countryside and to Briesen in just 45 minutes. If you still need provisions, you can stock up at the local supermarket. But then your bike rolls on the best asphalt and as if by itself through the fragrant forest, which secretly hides the Petersdorfer Lake with its beautiful bathing area.
You can make your first stop at Gut Klostermühle. The extensive area of the hotel and nature resort on Lake Madlitzer is a truly harmonious place. Simply take a break on the lawn, dangle your feet on the wooden jetty in the lake or sample specialties from the Lake District in the monastery barn. How about a snack, tarte flambée or homemade cake on the terrace with a view over the lake?
Idyllic estate and park Alt Madlitz
A little later you roll into Alt Madlitz. This is where the noble Finckenstein family wrote Prussian cultural history. Count Finck von Finckenstein created Brandenburg's first English landscape garden here and made the castle an important site for the cultural and artistic scene of the Margraviate of Brandenburg in the 18th century. Many intellectual Berliners traveled enthusiastically to Madlitz. They appreciated the intellectual inspiration of the counts' country life in Margraviate of Brandenburg and took part in the musical activities.
When you take a walk around the park, you might be able to understand why Brentano von Armin and the Humboldts liked to debate, philosophize, write poetry and simply linger here. Gentle hills, artificial ravines, orchards, small fields with gems in between and hidden, surprising views of the private manor house characterize the area in a mixture of park and wilderness. Today, the Alt Madlitz castle estate is an organic agricultural and forestry operation. In the small town you will also find a bed and breakfast, farm shop and the park café in the old forge.
Traces of Romance between the Lakes
You cycle on to Falkenhagen on quiet, small country roads. The largest medieval church in Brandenburg is almost a little oversized, suggesting that the small town was actually meant to grow to a different size. But this way you can let the cozy village charm work its magic on you. You can find worthwhile rest stops at the Schweizer Haus with terrace and lake view, in the popular Buchholz ice garden, on benches at the old local distillery or at small bathing spots by the many lakes.
Where trains once ran, you now cycle through the beautiful landscape
The tour now follows the Oderbruchbahn cycle path. The cycle path takes you along the old Oderbruchbahn route, which was the lifeline of the region for more than half a century, connecting the small and large towns of the Oderbruch and providing a connection to the metropolis of Berlin.
Here in the Lietzener Mühlental nature reserve you have fantastic views of the gently rolling landscape and the embedded lakes with white water lilies, with the occasional floodplain forest in between. From the reeds and rushes you might hear the song of the reed warbler or watch the heron hunting. Geese like to use the surrounding meadows for a rest.
Unique in Brandenburg: A flying visit to the Templars in a picture-perfect setting
A few kilometers further on, the Lietzen Commandery awaits you, a former branch of the Knights Templar. The historic building complex is surrounded by a picturesque hilly landscape - a sight you will probably not find anywhere else in Brandenburg. This place of peace on the banks of the Küchensee almost seems like a fairy tale. You can explore most of the grounds with a large park.
Members of the Knights Templar built the commandery in the 13th century. It is the last remaining seat of the Knights Templar in Brandenburg. The medieval buildings are among the oldest of their kind in Germany. The area has been inhabited and managed by the Hardenberg noble family since 1814.
Take the time to explore the area with information boards about the history. The functioning granary, for example, is considered a historical rarity. The small church, which is one of the open churches, radiates silence and wonderful peace. You can take a look at the blue and white vault of the sky and the small altar. Walk across the meadow orchard with the old trees down to the lake. A wooden footbridge extends out, water lilies are blooming. A great sense of peace spreads out. A little further up there is a bench under an old tree - the perfect place for a break and to really take a deep breath.
The small, idyllic village of Neuentempel now lies before you. The massive church is impressive. The old scythe forge on the edge of the village is still furnished as it was in the past and can be visited on request.
Shady break in the Diedersdorf Castle Park
The castle tour now takes you directly to Diedersdorf. Here you can take a walk around the largely natural castle park, which adjoins the impressive manor house to the south. It is privately owned and can be viewed from the outside. Especially in hot summer temperatures, you can find shady spots in the park with its small lake, stream and beautiful trees. Alternatively, you can visit the beer garden in the Ulmenhof.
Historic and wide views of the Oderbruch
In Seelow you have a fantastic view to the east and into the Oderbruch. This area is sadly famous because at the end of the Second World War it was the largest battlefield on German soil. The memorial, the small museum and the Soviet soldiers' cemetery tell impressive and reverent stories of these times.
A few meters further on, you can take a detour to the Simonsche Anlagen at the Schweizerhaus Seelow. The former model agricultural farm and tourist restaurant is now a public park that is being rebuilt by the local heritage association.
The last section will put your calves to the test again. From the heights on the way to Gusow, it is worth taking another look at the Oderbruch. You might even spot one of the colorful pheasants that can be seen here from time to time in the meadows.
Before you take the regional train back from Seelow-Gusow station, you can admire the architecturally interesting Gusow Castle from the outside. Or you can jump into the crystal-clear water at the nearby Oderbruch lido and camping site and treat yourself to a red soda on tap as a reward.
Refreshment tips:
Old Madlitz: Monastery barn in the Klostermühle estate; Parkcafé Alt Madlitz
Falkenhagen: Schweizer Haus; Eisgarten Buchholz
Diedersdorf: Zum Ulmenhof
Seelow: Offers around the market
Gusow: Strandbad & Camping Oderbruch
