Begin your three-day trip of the Ruppiner Seenland in Kremmen, a charming farming burgher town in easy reach via the A24 motorway and rural road. Stroll a bit around the historic and beautifully restored town centre with its picturesque half-timbered houses.

Art and culinary delights at Scheunenviertel
A must-see outside the town centre is the historic Scheunenviertel. Comprising over 40 buildings, it appears to be Germany's largest ensemble of barns. Today, the historic quarter is listed, accommodating art studios, the tourist information and numerous cafés and restaurants, such as “New Coldehörn”, serving the finest South Tyrolean culinary specialities.

Oranienburg is located only a few kilometres east of Kremmen. The charming royal town surrounded by water on the banks of Havel River is home to Brandenburg’s oldest baroque palace. The monument honouring the name giver of the town, Electress Louise Henriette von Oranien-Nassau, was erected on the palace grounds. Explore in all detail and stroll around the grounds, or Schlosspark, which the electress had built as a Dutch-style “Lustgarten”. Since the 2009 state horticultural show, the park presents itself in a new design following preservation requirements. Orangery – the cultural centre of Schlosspark.

Further traces of Dutch influence to be seen in the town are the former orphanage at the end of Breite Straße. Not far from here you can spot the Church of St. Nicholas (St. Nicolai-Kirche), the town's tallest building with more than 57 metres. From the viewing platform, open from May to October, you have a marvellous view over the Havel town. 

Aside from the splendid parts of Oranienburg, the atrocities which occurred during the Third Reich are also part of the town's history. The Sachsenhausen memorial site in the north of the town commemorates this dark chapter of German history.

From Oranienburg via the B96 and B167 you head north toward the palace and estate “Schloss und Gut Liebenberg”, which had great appeal with Fontane. Savour the excellent and creative cuisine with fresh regional produce at the Schlossrestaurant, rounding off your first day of the tour in a relaxed atmosphere.

On day 2 you head north via the B109 to Zehdenick. The pretty Havel town attracts visitors with its marina, the Havelschloss, an authentic Dutch-style drawbridge, and a wonderfully restored town centre. If you are interested in the history of navigation on Havel River you should by all means pay a visit to “Carola” – a museum ship built in 1916 according to specific measurements decreed by the Prussian government (Großfinowmaß). The Zehdenick Schiffermuseum and ship can be visited at the Elisabeth Mill's bulwark on Schleusenstraße.

Culture enthusiasts are drawn to the monastery barn in Zehdenick which makes up the remains of a nunnery from the 13th century on the outskirts of the town. At this location, alternating exhibitions, literature nights, film showings or performances by musicians take place on a regular basis.

A beautiful setting of lakes at the northern town exit along the Havel dominates the view. The lakes, formerly clay pits, have been flooded with water. Here, during the second-last turn of the century, the vast occurrence of clay allowed for the burning of bricks essential for the construction of tenement buildings in the ever-growing metropolis of Berlin.

Today, the Mildenberg brickyard, or Ziegelleipark, is testament to a piece of Brandenburg's industrial history where visitors can learn about how clay is turned into bricks. Today, experience hands-on industrial culture in the still existing and properly functioning Hoffman kilns. Go on an exploratory tour with a clay field railway, taking you around the former clay pits.

The road takes you along the scenic lakes of the Obere Havel and through the landscapes of Uckermärkische Seen Nature Park rich in forests and lakes until you reach the quaint town of Himmelpfort. Kids are very familiar with Himmelpfort which is known for its legendary Christmas post office. Discover the ruins of the former Cistercian Monastery covered in ivy. From Himmelpfort you continue west on the rural road to reach the water town of Fürstenberg/Havel.

The Ravensbrück concentration camp for women was not far from the gates of the town. Today’s memorial site showcases a permanent exhibition highlighting the darkest chapter of German history.

The waterside town of Fürstenberg/Havel is nestled between three lakes on the edge of Rheinsberg’s chain of lakes. The easy round tour of the town offers many charming views of the water. Do not miss taking a peek into the town’s striking church built in the early Byzantine style at the market square. Inside the edifice hangs Europe’s longest batik rug.

Take the rural road from Fürstenberg to Neuglobsow on the banks of the stunning Stechlinsee. Northern Germany's deepest clear-water lake measures an impressive depths of 70 metres and is considered one of the most beautiful bathing lakes in Brandenburg. The location by itself is absolutely amazing, nestled between forests and paradisiacal lakes of the Stechlin-Ruppiner Land Nature Park.

To get to the lake, you pass through the town known for its commercial fishery and which used to be home to professional glassmakers. The glassmakers’ house provides interesting insights into this artisan tradition. This is also where the tourist information is located. Savour a little cisco at the fish shop “Fischerei Stechlinsee”, a type of fish only indigenous to Lake Stechlinsee.

From Neuglobsow you head further to Rheinsberg where you can round off your day in a relaxed atmosphere at “Gasthof & Fleischerei Endler” in the historic town centre or at the “Maritim Hafenhotel Rheinsberg” in northern Rheinsberg.

The best thing comes last: This motto also holds true to the round tour because Rheinsberg and Neuruppin are considered without doubt true gems of the March Brandenburg. No need to search around for the Rheinsberg gem: it is the famous palace with the two striking circular towers facing Grienericksee and the sprawling green palace grounds surrounded by marvellous forests and lakes perfectly suited for hiking, biking or aquatic adventures.

Marvel at the prestigious baroque palace from different perspectives in the park to understand why the young Frederick II – as he stated himself – spent the happiest years of his life here. The famous writers Theodor Fontane and Kurt Tucholsky were similarly impressed by Rheinsberg.

Tucholsky brought fame to the town in the Ruppiner Seenland with his novella “Rheinsberg – a Picture Book for Lovers”. This is also the reason why the palace houses the Kurt-Tucholsky-Literaturmuseum. The permanent exhibition on the the life and œuvre is a must-see for fans of this writer and all those who like to become a fan.

During the summer months, the palace grounds are transformed into a mecca for all opera enthusiasts when the chamber opera brings delightful sounds to Rheinsberg Palace presented by the world elite of opera singing, further enhancing the magic of the palace.

Rheinsberg surprises its visitors with its lovingly restored historic told town. The town also boasts a centuries-old ceramics tradition, showcased at the local Keramikmuseum. The old town boasts a variety of lovely cafés and restaurants, e.g. the Café Claire, named after the female character in Tucholsky’s novella.

Filled with new impressions, you head to Neuruppin next, a little less than 30 km south of Rheinsberg. The charming birth place of Fontane and Schinkel on the northern banks of Ruppiner See – Brandenburg’s longest lake – was once built as an exemplary Prussian garrison town.

Discover the historic town centre with its early neoclassical architecture. Spacious squares and avenues determine the townscape. Monuments are reminiscent of Neuruppin's two famous sons – Schinkel and Fontane. Fontane’s birth place, the Löwenapotheke, still exists on Karl-Marx-Straße 84. Also still in place is the town's oldest half-timbered house – the Up Hus – on Siechenhausstraße.

In close proximity is also the Museum Neuruppin, presenting insightful material on the regional history and the life and work of Fontane and the famous “Neuruppiner Bilderbogen” – a pictorial broadsheet and archetype of today’s magazine. The new annex to the museum connects the museum with the exotic temple garden.

Landscape architect von Knobelsdorff created this garden gem for his friend, the Crown Prince Frederick, in the 18th century. Aside from Rheinsberg Park and the World Heritage Park of Sanssouci in Potsdam, the “Tempelgarten” was the first to be built of the three Frederician gardens in Brandenburg. At the time, the round temple was unparalleled in Europe. Treat yourself to a culinary break at the Café und Restaurant Tempelgarten next.

From there you reach the banks of Ruppiner See, where the monastery church of St. Trinitatis – once centre of the Dominican monastery – is seen from afar with its tall twin steeples. Here you can gaze across the beautiful landscape for a while. Continue your stroll along the banks until you come by the stainless steel sculpture “Parzival” designed by the artist Matthias Zágon Hohl-Stein.

Let’s go on a round tour by boat on Ruppiner See! Aboard one of Neuruppin's passenger ships you can marvel at the classicist old town of Neuruppin and its landmark, the monastery church St. Trinitatis, right from the lake.

… with a bit of wellness and relaxation at the “Fontane Therme” spa of the Resort Mark Brandenburg. Float in the spa’s thermal saltwater or boost your circulation in Germany's largest floating lake sauna followed by a cool-down in Lake Ruppiner See. Or seek out the ice grotto to chill out. The wellness offerings leave nothing to be desired. Savour the finest regional cuisine in the rustic ambience of the restaurant “Seewirtschaft” at Resort Mark Brandenburg where dishes are prepared right in front of your eyes. From the terrace you have a superb view of the lake.