The Spa Park Bad Saarow

Created in 1910 according to plans by garden architect Ludwig Lesser, the spa park was only created in its current basic structure and size as the largest of several park-like lakeside areas with the expansion of the country house colony. The 6-hectare park was the central strolling and recreational area. In 1927, the healing spring in the park was opened up and a drinking spa was built.

Famous personalities such as Max Schmeling and Anny Ondra married in Bad Saarow and Käthe Dorsch, Ernst Lubitsch, Walter Kollo and Victor de Kowa spent relaxing days here away from the hustle and bustle of the city of Berlin.

The clear street axes with the main road leading directly to the railroad station provided enough space for spacious villas in the Heimat and country house style, which still characterize the townscape today. Lesser's architectural signature is also visible in the details, as 34 country house gardens were laid out in his style.

The central park area on the northern shore of Lake Scharmützel was in the hands of the Soviet army for over four decades, causing the garden architectural structures to disappear completely. After the withdrawal of the Soviet troops, a Europe-wide competition was held in 1995 to redesign the park.

The design, entitled “A park for the soul”, dispensed with any reconstruction. The result is a modern park that mediates between the overall historical structure and the contrasting construction of the Saarow thermal baths.

The U-shaped ensemble with a surrounding gallery of pillars in the dimensions of a palace complex opens up to the lakeshore via a courtyard of honor with the outdoor area of the thermal baths, from where the setting sun can be wonderfully experienced. Despite the new design, the planting is oriented towards the space-creating effect of the old trees and has a pleasantly organic effect.

The Lesser Promenade begins at the Kurpark, where you can stroll along the lakeshore for around 1.5 kilometers to Fontanepark.