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Germany,
Brandenburg
Brandenburg: -
The ‘March’ of Brandenburg surrounding Berlin is a region of birch and pine forests.
The picturesque Spreewald lies south of Berlin and offers numerous waterways for exploration by boat, and tranquil hamlets such as Bückchen. Flat-bottomed barges are still the main means of transport in the heart of this region, as they have been for centuries.
Potsdam: Potsdam’s major new family attraction is the high-tech Babelsberg Film Theme Park. There are also several fine 18th-century buildings preserved in the city, which boasts three large parks. The Neuer Garten contains the marble palace and Schloss Cecilienhof, where Stalin, Truman and Churchill drafted peace treaties in July and August 1945 during the Potsdam Conference. Sanssouci has the spectacular Sanssouci Palace, which was Frederick the Great’s favourite residence, and a gilded teahouse. The picture gallery next door to the palace contains many old masters. The city’s Dutch Quarter is an attraction in itself, as is the famous Potsdam Bridge, where East and West exchanged spies in all the best espionage films of the Cold War era.
Elsewhere: Traces of Frederick the Great are also evident at Rheinsberg, which was immortalised by Kurt Tucholsky’s tale of the same name. The interior of the beautifully situated castle is still undergoing restoration, but visits are possible. One of the towers houses a Tucholsky Memorial. The music academy at Cavalier House concentrates on period music as played at the court of Crown Prince Frederick. The Schorfheide is an area of forest north of Berlin. Beavers, otters and eagles have claimed this picturesque area as their own. In the centre of this landscape of birches and pines lies the Werbellin Lake. Summer concerts at the former Cistercian Monastery of Chorin are another Brandenburg highlight, as is Lehde, where there is an open-air museum with original houses and farm buildings, complete with interiors. There are also several examples of the culture of the Sorbs, a resident Slavic minority.
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