Info
Start Briesen (Mark) train station
Objective Seelow or Gusow-Platkow train station
Length 40 km
Duration 4h
How to Arrive RE1 from Berlin to Briesen (Mark)
Departure RB26 from Seelow-Gusow or RB60 from Seelow
Wooded start into the gently rolling countryside
The RE1 takes you quickly into the country and to Briesen. On the best asphalt, you roll through the fragrant forest, which secretly hides the Petersdorfer Lake. The first stop is at Gut Klostermühle. the Petersdorfer Lake secretly hidden. You can make your first stop at Gut Klostermühle. The extensive area of the hotel and nature resort on Madlitzer Lake is a harmonious place. Take a break on the lawn and dangle your feet on the wooden jetty in the lake.
Idyllic estate and park Alt Madlitz
A little later, you reach Alt Madlitz. Here, the noble Finckenstein family wrote Prussian cultural history. Count Finck von Finckenstein created the first English landscape garden in Brandenburg and made the castle a center for the cultural and artistic scene of the Margraviate 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 Bettina von Armin and the Humboldts liked to debate, philosophize and write poetry here. Gentle hills, artificial ravines, gems, old orchards and sightlines to the private manor house characterize the area in a mixture of park and wilderness. Today, the Alt Madlitz estate is an ecological agricultural and forestry operation.
Traces of Romance between the Lakes
The route to Falkenhagen (Mark) runs along quiet country roads. The largest medieval church in Brandenburg is almost oversized, suggesting that the small town should actually grow to a different size. A couple of beautiful and worthwhile rest stops are offered by the Schweizer Haus with a view of the lake, the popular Buchholz ice cream garden with a delicious sundae or homemade sheet cakes and tarts, benches at the old local distillery or small bathing areas at the many lakes.
Where trains once ran, people now cycle
The tour now follows the Oderbruchbahn cycle path. The cycle path runs along the old route, which was the lifeline of the region for more than half a century. Here in the Lietzener Mühlental nature reserve, you have fantastic views of the rolling landscape and the embedded lakes with water lilies and the surrounding floodplain forest. From the reeds and rushes you might be able to see the reed warbler or the heron hunting. Wild geese like to use the wide meadows for a rest.
Unique in Brandenburg: Flying Visit to the Templars
A few kilometers further on is the Lietzen Commandery, a former settlement of the Knights Templar. The historic buildings in the picturesque hilly landscape are a sight that is probably not to be found anywhere else in Brandenburg. The place on the banks of the Küchensee has a fairytale-like appearance. Most of the park grounds can be explored. The medieval buildings are among the oldest of their kind in Germany. Today the area is inhabited by the Hardenberg noble family. The small church radiates silence and wonderful peace. You reach the lake via an orchard with old trees. Here you will find a wooden footbridge, water lilies and lots of peace. A little further up there is a bench under an old tree: the perfect place to really take a deep breath!
Diedersdorf Castle Park & panoramic view of the Oderbruch
The castle tour continues to Diedersdorf. Take a walk around the natural castle park with old trees, which adjoins the impressive manor house. It is privately owned and can be viewed from the outside. Also idyllic: the beer garden in the nearby Ulmenhof. Before the return journey awaits at Seelow-Gusow train station, you can learn about the sad battle at the end of World War II at the Seelow Heights memorial with a view of the Oderbruch. At the end, you can take a look at Gusow Castle or jump into the crystal-clear water at the nearby Oderbruch lido and camping site, followed by a red soda on tap.
Things to see and know:
- Falkenhagen: Fieldstone Church
- Neuentempel: Cyclist Church
- Seelow: Schinkel Church, Memorial and Museum Seelow Heights
- Alt Madlitz: Schlossgut
- Lietzen: Commandery
- Gusow: Castle
- Märkische castle tour
- Oderbruchbahn cycle path
Maps / Literature: "Seenland Oder-Spree (districts Oder-Spree and Märkisch Oderland): Cycling and adventure map", scale 1:100.000 / 1:175.000 map-folded map, publisher: Pietruska; edition: 4 (August 2017), ISBN 978-3-945138-01-4, 6,90 euros
