In Biesenthal, you can plan a stay among nature trails, Wukensee Lake and historic architecture. For planning, two circular routes are particularly easy to distinguish: the loop around Wukensee Lake and the longer hike through the Biesenthaler Becken basin. There is also a rail connection between Berlin and Stralsund and a section of the Berlin–Usedom cycle route that ends in Biesenthal.
Circular Routes Through the Biesenthaler Becken and Around Wukensee Lake
The circular hike through the Biesenthaler Becken basin is about 12 kilometres long. It starts and ends in Biesenthal at Heideberg. Along the way, it passes through mixed forests with impressive beech trees and follows the banks of Hellsee, lined with alder swamps. The Biesenthaler Becken Natura Trail runs through the Biesenthaler Becken Natura 2000 site. This means that your day-trip options include both a specific, longer circular hike and a nature trail linked to the protected area.
At Wukensee Lake, you can walk around the lake on a 2.5-kilometre trail. Compared with the roughly 12-kilometre loop through the Biesenthaler Becken basin, this route is considerably shorter; however, both are circular routes that return to the starting point. If you would like to combine your time by the water with a visit to the lido, it has a jetty, water slide and diving tower. If these facilities are important to your plans, check the lido’s latest visitor information in advance.
Churches, Cemetery and Observation Tower
The Protestant church in Biesenthal was rebuilt between 1763 and 1767, resulting in a simple late Baroque building. Its earlier form is believed to have been a three-aisled fieldstone church dating from the mid-13th century. The Catholic St. Mary’s Church, the Protestant town church and the Jewish cemetery together reflect the town’s historical religious diversity and tolerance. The Jewish cemetery dates from the mid-17th century.
Another landmark in the town’s history is the Kaiser Friedrich Tower on the old Ascanian castle hill in Biesenthal. It has an observation platform. Together with the two churches and the cemetery, the tower offers a different perspective on the town: this is not another hiking route, but a look at historic buildings and a prominent location within Biesenthal.
Getting Here and the Cycle Route
Biesenthal is connected to the rail line between Berlin and Stralsund, served by Deutsche Bahn and ODEG. For your specific outward and return journeys, it is worth checking the current timetable. If you are travelling by bicycle, you can also include Biesenthal as part of the Berlin–Usedom cycle route: its first stage covers 41 kilometres from central Berlin to Biesenthal.
Barnim as a Wider Travel Destination
The wider Barnim travel destination offers further, distinct cultural and landscape attractions. Chorin Monastery is a key work of North German Brick Gothic architecture; the Niederfinow Boat Lift is Germany’s oldest operating boat lift. The Finow Canal is Germany’s oldest artificial waterway still navigable by boat. Boat trips are offered on Lake Werbellin, while canoe tours are available on the Finow Canal. These varied themes—monastery architecture, historic engineering and water activities—add to the appeal of Barnim without being the same as the routes and attractions in Biesenthal.
Barnim also offers options for cycling and hiking on a different scale: the district’s cycle route network covers a total of 610 kilometres. The “Around the Schorfheide” circular hiking trail is 143 kilometres long and runs through Barnim Nature Park. The Ice Age Land on the Oder Escarpment geopark extends across the Uckermark and Barnim districts in northeastern Brandenburg. These regional details help distinguish Biesenthal as a specific town destination from the broader attractions of Barnim.
Discover more destinations: AlthĂĽttendorf, Eberswalde, Hohenfinow, Ahrensfelde, Schorfheide, Niederfinow, Friedrichswalde, Oderberg.
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