The Havel town bears the nickname “Little Venice” for a good reason: it is situated on an island surrounded by the Havel lakes. It is even possible to go on a round tour of the town by canoe. Three historic town centres, among them the cathedral island or Dominsel as the cradle of the State of Brandenburg, form the town centre and reflect the 1000-year history. Up to the turning point in 1989, Brandenburg had been a significant industrial location. Brandenburg draws fans of architecture, covering periods from medieval churches to industrial and modern architecture.

In the course of preparations for the 2015 Federal Horticultural Show (BUGA), the town has blossomed out and expanded further toward the water. Beautiful promenades along the Havel, such as the “Jahrtausendbrücke”, invite visitors for a stroll. High-end lofts for residents, holiday homes or restaurants have been established in the former buildings of industrial architecture. So get ready for some exciting contrasts of old and new during your round tour.

From the train station you can walk to the town centre in less than 10 minutes. The path to Neustädtischer Markt is conveniently signposted. Along the way you pass by the archaeological museum in the Paulikloster. If you have enough time to spare, you can experience a fantastic time travel through the state’s history.

The tourist information centre at Neustädtischer Markt provides a very handy town map with all the attractions. Via Molkenmarkt you head to Mühlendamm if you choose to discover the town by canoe first. There is a place for canoe rentals at Neustädtischer Hafen on Mühlendamm where you can rent your canoe from directly. Discover the charming skyline of the town during this tour and its significant monuments right from the water. The tour leads you down the town's canal and Brandenburger Niederhavel past the Paulikloster monastery, the St. Johanniskirche church etc. While out on the water, seize on the opportunity to stop directly next to a café or a restaurant. On your way back to Mühlendamm you can refuel in one of the nearby restaurants

From Mühlendamm it is only a short walk by foot to cathedral island or Dominsel, where you can marvel at the imposing St. Peter and Paul Cathedral from up close. Since the completion of an extensive restoration on the occasion of the cathedral’s 850th anniversary in 2015, the sacral building and its works of art have been shining in new splendour once again. The cathedral island is considered the cradle of the mark because here the diocese of Brandenburg was founded in the year 948. The deed of foundation and many other treasures can be seen in the adjacent Dommuseum.

After crossing the Domstreng stream you head toward Grillendamm which takes you into old town. The St. Gotthardkirche is a classic example of a reformation church. It is also a famous site for it is here where the humorist Vicco von Bülow (Loriot) was baptised. In remembrance of the town's famous son, everywhere across the town centre little bronze pugs were set up during the 2015 horticultural show in Brandenburg (BUGA). See if you can spot some of these perky pugs on your tour. In front of the town hall, the Altstädtische Rathaus sits a bench with a typical Loriot character, next to which you can take a break. The Roland statue before the town hall heralds the town's membership in the Hanseatic League during the Middle Ages.

Take a leisurely stroll through the old town to Humboldthain and to the Havel promenade until your get to the Jahrtausendbrücke, a bridge connecting the old and new town with each other. Your route takes you along the Franciscan monastery church, the Franziskaner Klosterkirche St. Johannis. Fancy some food? Plenty of restaurants are there to select from. Visit the “Cafébar Brückenhäuschen” or the “Werft” restaurant and enjoy the view across the inner-city Havel.

If you have more time to spare and like to immerse yourself a bit more in the town's history, visit the Slawendorf near Humboldthain. Log houses, wattle and daub houses, wells and a smithy attest to the existence of the Slavic people in the Havelland. If you take a keen interest in the industrial history of the region and like to explore a little longer, take the tram line 2 to Industriemuseum (stop “Am Stadion/Industriemuseum”). Here, the last of 12 giant smelting furnaces (a Siemens-Martin open-hearth steel oven) is located.

If you prefer to spend the night in Brandenburg an der Havel, you may book a room for example at “Pension Havelfloß”, a guesthouse, adjacent to Jahrtausendbrücke or at “AXXON Hotel Brandenburg”. Or how about a stay for a night right on the banks of Beetzsee at the charming Hotel Bollmannsruh a few kilometres outside the town?

Via rural road you head first from Brandenburg an der Havel to Ziesar on day 2. The small town on Brandenburg’s most western tip surprises visitors with its incredibly well-preserved castle which used to be the residence of Brandenburg bishops during the late Middle Ages. The lovingly painted and opulently beautified castle chapel with its late Gothic brick façade exudes such splendour that it simply wows its visitors.

The 35-metre high castle keep, affording a phenomenal view of the Fläming Heath and Ziesar’s town centre, dates back to the 12th century. The museum inside the castle showcases a permanent exhibition about the castle and medieval church and cultural history, presenting spectacular finds all worthwhile seeing.

Set out on a search of the old town's historic traces. Here, the romantic tower of the parish church dominates the townscape, aesthetically restored houses of farming burghers line the streets and alleyways. Worthwhile seeing are also the neo-Gothic town hall, the “Barockhaus” at Mühlentor 16 and the oldest building of the old town, the “Bardeleben`sche Hof”, which had once been a knight's estate.

From Ziesar you head to Wiesenburg via the B107 in about 20 minutes. The small town in the southwest of the Fläming Heath also boasts a unique attraction: the most significant garden monument between Sanssouci Park and the Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz. Stroll through the sprawling gardens filled with ponds, flower beds lining the terraces and countless tree species. The park was modelled on an English landscape garden by the former lord of the castle, Curt Friedrich Ernst von Watzdorf. The “parterre“ featuring shallow plants in the central section of the palace garden is the largest and most beautiful composition ever created in the State of Brandenburg.

Impressive is also the castle-style Renaissance palace. Today, the palace accommodates private residents and artists’ studios, allowing visitors to marvel at the palace from the outside only. Accessible are the gatehouse with tourist information and the 48-metre castle tower from which you have a marvellous view of the palace park and across the Fläming. Another unusual feature inside the palace garden is the masonry in front of the palace consisting of thornstone. Treat yourself to some home-made cakes at Simone’s Café in the pavilion by the palace or sample some some tasty regional kitchen at Schlossschänke zur Remise.

Via the B246 you reach Bad Belzig, a spa town nestled in a hiker’s paradise of Hoher Fläming Nature Park. The 1000-year-old historic old town exudes a very unique charm with its winding alleyways and lovingly restored bourgeois houses. The prestigious Burg Eisenhardt, a castle, is the town’s landmark. From the 24-metre high castle keep and viewing platform you can marvel at the town of Bad Belzig and the quaint landscape of hills all around Fläming Heath. The museum of natural history (Heimatmuseum) at the gatehouse of the castle invites visitors to take a deeper look into the town’s history. A closed ringfort with accessible keeps surrounds the castle grounds.

Having conquered the castle you continue your discovery tour through the old town. A small detour through Wittenberger Straße leads you to the Saxon post milestone which attests to Bad Belzig’s association to Saxony. Right across from here, in the Burgbräuhaus, you may get a taste of Bad Belzig’s revived art of brewing. The old town’s central focus is the market square with the rebuilt Renaissance-style town hall. Not far from the market square lies the romantic Church of St. Mary (Stadtkirche St. Marien), housing the Brandenburg organ museum. Among the house of prayer's precious collection is an organ from the year 1747. Adjacent to the church stands the “Reißigerhaus” where the composer Carl Gottlieb Reißiger was born at the end of the 18th century.

Treat yourself to a soothing wellness application at the SteinTherme Spa on the second day of your trip. Bad Belzig’s thermal saltwater with high content of iodine bubbles up from 775 metres below, proving to be a true fountain of health. Or gently float into another world in the light and sound pool. Fully refreshed you leave Bad Belzig to go to Lühnsdorf which is only a few kilometres away. There you check into “Landhaus Alte Schmiede” where guests indulge in freshly made country cuisine.

On the third day of your trip you take the B102 southeast to Jüterbog, one of Brandenburg’s oldest towns. Continue exploring the Middle Ages because here during the medieval period, Jüterbog emerged as an important mercantile town. Remnants of the town wall, three town gates and seven fortified towers bear witness to this time.

Several churches, the Liebfrauenkirche and the imposing Nikolaikirche, whose steeples greet visitors from afar, exude a medieval atmosphere. The Mönchenkloster, a friary and cultural quarter accommodating a museum and the tourist information, as well as the brick Gothic architecture of the town hall on market square, are all testimony of medieval influences. The latter is considered Brandenburg's oldest town hall and also one of the most beautiful ones.

Discover on your round tour of the town another very special side of Jüterbog: 500 years ago, the reformation had its beginning in Jüterbog – a central place for the preaching of indulgences by the Dominican friar Johann Tetzel. A replica of the legendary “Tetzeltruhe” – the friar’s chest inside the Nikolaikirche – proves where Tetzel had stored his proceeds. The round tour leads you to those sights and other traces of reformation.

If you feel like going for a refreshment and some food, the patio of the café and restaurant “Tetzelstuben” at Heilig-Geist-Platz is perfectly suited for a relaxing break. Treat yourself to some coffee and cake specialities or taste a sumptuous meal.

“Kloster Zinna”, a Cistercian monastery, is located in close distance to Jüterbog and absolutely worth a visit. The abbey’s wealth is still reflected in the precious monastic buildings. Inside the abbey’s museum you can immerse in Cistercian history. The chapel's High Gothic frescos provide insight into a monastic world view.

Following the monastery's secularisation in the 18th century, hand loom weavers settled in this territory. The old techniques are demonstrated using historic hand looms in the so-called ‘Zollhaus” or customs house. There is also a café and pub garden nearby. Sample some traditional specialities from the Fläming Heath region, such as “Klemmkuchen”, a type of pastry. The legendary herbal liquor “Zinnaer Klosterbruder” can be sampled in the former Siechenhaus.

Take the B101 to quickly reach Herzberg. The small town in the region of Elbe-Elster-Land not only boasts attractive monuments, but also a unique and fascinating history, which was going to transform Germany's educational infrastructure substantially. Strategically situated at the intersection of vital traffic routes, Herzberg became a crucial trading centre. The ensemble of town hall, Church of St. Mary and Melanchthon-Gymnasium (a grammar school) still impresses today.

At the time of Martin Luther, Herzberg made reformation history, or more specifically, educational history because from here, Martin Luther and Philipp Melanchthon launched a ground-breaking educational reform. Still today, a Melanchthon bust at the namesake school brings to mind the achievements of this great reformer.

Don't miss taking a peek into the Church of St. Mary, a hall church of the late Gothic period. The colourful vault paintings make the church an extraordinary monument of the late Middle Ages. Figurines, leafage and blossoms bring life to the interior. The view of Herzberg from the 36-metre church steeple is incredible, provided you are not scared of heights. The key to walk up the steeple is handed out at the tourist information counter in the nave isle of the church.

Take up quarters near the town on the banks of Schwarze Elster where you can spend the night in a dream house at Elster Park. The surprisingly unconventional architecture charmingly blends with the scenic river landscape. Spoil yourself with the culinary creations in the light-flooded restaurant “BlauHaus”. Here, creative cuisine made of fresh and regional produce can be found on the menu card.

On the fourth day of your round trip across southern Brandenburg, you head to some of the most striking locations of industrial culture in Lusatia's lake region. Open-cast mines appearing like bizarre moonscapes, decommissioned power plants and factories, as well as gigantic conveyor bridges are all testimony of an exciting chapter of the region's industrial history. After all, the mining and coal industry determined the lives of Lusatia’s residents for about 150 years. All technical monuments are open to visitors and connected via the “Route Lausitzer Industriekultur” or Lusatia’s industrial culture route.

Take the B101 and L60 from Herzberg to Domsdorf to arrive in less than half an hour. Nestled in an idyllic location amidst green forests in Domsdorf, between Liebenwerda und Doberlug-Kirchhain, lies Europe’s oldest and originally preserved briquette factory with its 68-metre chimney. As soon as you enter the factory, you can feel the charm of the 19th century exuded by LOUISE, enabling visitors to experience technology from this era. It hisses and rumbles – the pistons of the former briquette press move in time just like over 100 years ago.

From Europe’s oldest briquette factory you take the B101 to one of the oldest lignite-fired power plants in Europe, the Plessa power station. The two chimneys of the power station appear like giant cathedral towers. Experience inside of these giants of industrial culture how lignite was turned into electricity in the last century.

From there you head east via the B169 to Lauchhammer to visit the Bio Towers. The 24 towers rising up 22 metres from the ground used to serve as a waste water treatment site for a coking plant. Today they appear like a fascinating medieval fortress. The two viewing platforms give visitors a fantastic impression of the industrial monument.

Take the L60 to see another “giant” of industrial culture only 15 minutes away, the decommissioned F60 conveyor bridge and mine. The gigantic dimensions of the former overburden conveyor bridge – also referred to as the “Lying Eiffel Tower” – turn the world's largest mobile technical structure into Lusatia’s landmark. You can literally explore new horizons on a guided tour of the colossal bridge from 80 metres above the ground, offering stunning panoramic views. On clear days, you may be able to see as far as into the Saxon Switzerland.

A stone’s throw from here via the B96 lies Großräschen which features the award-winning IBA Terraces in the midst of the former open-cast mining territory. The terraces connect three building cubes with one another, one of them being the Lausitzer Seenland visitor centre. The view from the IBA terraces down the edge of the chasm into the former Meuro open-cast mine is spectacular. The mine is undergoing transformation from a mine to a lake. As such, it is currently being flooded, allowing Großräschener See to emerge slowly.

Filled with impressions from another world, you return to Seehotel where your day can come to a relaxed end whilst savouring culinary specialities.

Multiple attractions await visitors in the centre of the historic town centre: The market square features a reconstructed Saxon post milestone. The original dates back to the time when the region still belonged to Saxony. Visitors are similarly impressed by the opulently decorated house front of the five-storey chemist's “Adlerapotheke” and the award-winning architecture of the new town hall building. This is also where you can find the tourist information centre. East from here behind the market square sits the Church of St. Peter and Paul with its 32-metre steeple. The Wendish church next to it represents Lusatia’s minority of Sorbs and Wends.

Take a leisurely stroll from the market to the imposingly fortified Senftenberg palace through Schlossstraße. During Saxon times, it secured the city of Dresden against attacks. Today, you enter the grounds of the Renaissance palace through an effectively illuminated tunnel. Visit the powder tower and discover the secret paths. The permanent exhibition in the palace presents many fascinating material on the regional history and culture of Lusatia and the Sorbs. Visitors can even explore the model of an underground mining tunnel.

Having completed their museum visit, visitors may want to explore the waterside. The new town harbour, which boasts a pier of 80 metres, lies only a few minutes by foot from Lake Senftenberg. This is where you can soak up some maritime flair. The lake has been in existence since the early 1970s. The oasis for water enthusiasts and lovers of recreation is considered one of Europe's largest artificial lakes today. With its fine sandy beaches and clear water, it is one of the most popular lakes in Brandenburg.

The best views are definitely enjoyed aboard a passenger ship. “Aqua Phönix”, a solar-powered catamaran, operates between the town harbour of Senftenberg and Geierswalde twice daily. One trip takes about 1.5 hours. With a rental bike from Segtours at the harbour you can circle around the lake in a leisurely pace along the banks for about 18 km in one to two hours or visit the “Rostiger Nagel” landmark on Sornoer Kanal by bike. From the 30-metre steel tower you have an especially wonderful view of Lusatia's land of lakes. The region's bike trails are excellently signposted, and the tourist information at the market square provides you a cycling map. So much activity certainly makes you feel hungry. Right by the town harbour you can find the “Cucina Restaurant und Café”. Savour some Mediterranean cuisine and maritime flair right on the spacious sun terrace.

Have a little bit of extra time to spare? We recommend making a stopover in the garden town of Marga. Located in the district of Brieske, this art nouveau workmen’s settlement is considered to be one of the oldest of its kind in Germany. Laid out in a circle, the settlement comprises a total of 78 houses and 15 different construction types.

Cultural enthusiasts allow themselves a night of theatre entertainment at the “Neue Bühne Senftenberg”, renowned for its innovative performances also across regional borders. Next, head to Großräschen via the B96 where your day is rounded off in a relaxed atmosphere at the Seehotel, e.g. whilst savouring culinary specialities at the hotel's restaurant.