Werneuchen brings together a variety of reasons to visit: local history around the Old Smithy and the mausoleum, natural bathing spots at Löhmer Haussee, and a longer stage on the Werneuchen–Bernau Way of St. James. When planning your stay, it is worth considering whether local history, time by the water or a hike lasting several hours should be its main focus. This lets you set your priorities instead of trying to fit too many activities into one itinerary.
Getting there and planning your time
From Berlin, Werneuchen is directly accessible in about 30 minutes on regional express train RB25 from Ostkreuz station. The journey time is a guideline: check the current timetable before travelling, as travel times and services may change.
Smithy, mausoleum and manor house
The listed Old Smithy probably began operating around 1624. It was used mainly for shoeing horses and is now a small cultural venue. The Petitjean family mausoleum is in the churchyard west of the Protestant church, opposite the main entrance. It was built in the early 19th century in the Neoclassical style. It commemorates the operator of Werneuchen’s post and relay station, which in its time was one of the largest of its kind in the Brandenburg part of Prussia.
The former manor house at Berliner Allee 9 on the B158 has a different history. It was completed in 1914, is privately owned and has remained vacant since its exterior was restored around 2012. Therefore, consider it a historic building to view from the outside, not as a confirmed interior visit. Together, the buildings illustrate different aspects of local history: craftsmanship and horseshoeing, the post and relay station, and a manor house with a restored exterior.
Bathing spots at Löhmer Haussee
In Löhme, a district of Werneuchen, the circular trail around Löhmer Haussee has three natural bathing spots, one of which charges an entrance fee. There are also two designated dog-bathing spots. If you are planning time by the water, this distinction is useful: you can consider the natural bathing spots and the specifically designated dog-bathing spots as separate parts of what is on offer. The fee applies to one of the three natural bathing spots, so do not assume that the same conditions apply at all of them.
Werneuchen–Bernau Way of St. James
The Werneuchen–Bernau Way of St. James is about 17 kilometres long and takes approximately five to six hours. These approximate figures provide a starting point for planning your day and indicate that the hike is an activity lasting several hours. This makes it easy to distinguish from a stay at Löhmer Haussee: the focus here is on a longer route with its own time commitment.
Barnim as a wider travel destination
The wider Barnim destination offers additional themes at the regional level. The cycling network in Barnim district has a total length of 610 kilometres; cycling in Barnim Nature Park is an activity for visitors to the district. The 143-kilometre “Around the Schorfheide” circular hiking trail also passes through Barnim Nature Park. The district-wide cycling network and the single long-distance hiking route represent two different scales to consider when planning a trip in Barnim.
Barnim has numerous bathing lakes for recreation. Boat trips are available on Werbellinsee, and canoe trips are possible on the Finow Canal. The Finow Canal is Germany’s oldest artificial waterway still navigable by boat; here, a regional water activity meets a defining feature of the area’s industrial heritage. The wider Barnim destination’s cultural and technical heritage also includes Chorin Abbey, a key work of North German Brick Gothic, and the Niederfinow Boat Lift, Germany’s oldest still-operating boat lift.
Discover more destinations: Marienwerder, Chorin, Breydin, Melchow, Lunow-Stolzenhagen, Oderberg, Joachimsthal, Niederfinow.
View the wider travel guide: Barnim.
