Brandenburg

The flat landscape of the Mark Brandenburg is deceptive: behind pine forests, lakes and the floodplains of the Oder lie dozens of castles, palaces and manor houses that bear witness to the turbulent history between the Ascanians, the Wittelsbachs and the Hohenzollerns. The Havelland around Potsdam in particular is one vast cultural landscape in which Sanssouci Palace and the Neuer Garten — both UNESCO World Heritage Sites — are interwoven with numerous smaller garden palaces and pavilions. The Prussian kings shaped this region in their own image, creating a royal residence landscape unrivalled anywhere in northern Germany.

Away from the splendour of Potsdam, Brandenburg preserves its medieval heritage: Burg Rabenstein near Ziesar is regarded as one of the oldest surviving castle complexes in the Mark and today houses a museum dedicated to the history of the Bishops of Brandenburg. Burg Eisenhardt in Bad Belzig, Rheinsberg Palace on the lake and the fortress ruins of Küstrin on the Oder document the military and courtly cultures that shaped the region over the centuries. In the Uckermark, the quiet north of Brandenburg, many manor houses and palaces fell into decay after 1945 — yet initiatives to rescue and repurpose them are steadily growing.

The lakes of the Mark and the Spreewald region offer unique settings for castle tours by water and by land. Canoe trips past moated castles, cycling routes through avenue-lined landscapes to manor houses, and special exhibitions in restored palace rooms make Brandenburg one of the most exciting areas of discovery for castle enthusiasts well off the main tourist trails.