Fürstenberg/Havel combines a distinctive connection to the water with several different historical themes: a canoe tour around the old town, an exhibition on local history, the Old Castle, a railway ferry now on land, and the Ravensbrück Memorial and Museum. When planning, it helps to consider which focus you want to shape your stay: a manageable circuit on the water, insights into local history, or an exploration of the history of the Ravensbrück women’s concentration camp.
Experience Fürstenberg/Havel on the water
The easy canoe tour around the old town is 2.3 kilometres long and takes about an hour. It follows the Gänse, Priester and Schulhavel waterways, which are navigable throughout via the fish canoe pass. This makes the circuit easy to plan as a standalone activity with a clear time frame. The approximate duration is a guide for planning.
The fish canoe pass is 50 metres long and overcomes a difference in elevation of 1.60 metres. It is the largest fish canoe pass in Brandenburg. As well as taking you around the old town, the short tour therefore has a distinctive connection to this water engineering structure.
As an alternative to planning your own circular route, guided tours of the town’s historic streets are available. Nature tours take you to the surrounding lakes and forests. These are different kinds of activities: the town tour focuses on the streets and history of the town, while the nature tour focuses on the surrounding area. For dates and bookings, contact the Tourist Information Office.
Local history and historical traces
The Fürstenberg/Havel Local History Exhibition at Markt 5 offers insights into the town’s development over the centuries through audio documents, maps and objects from its history. These different media offer different perspectives: maps show spatial relationships, while objects and audio documents add insights into specific aspects of the past.
A replica of the Fürstenberg gold hoard is also on display in the exhibition rooms. The hoard was found in 2008 during construction work on Brandenburger Straße, near the castle. The exhibition thus connects a specific findspot with an object that is now shown as a replica.
The Old Castle is another trace of the past. Once a moated castle, it is the oldest building in Fürstenberg/Havel, with parts of it still preserved. The railway ferry tells a different, more recent story: in 2013, it was lifted out of the water on behalf of the town and treated with corrosion protection. It has been on land ever since and can be viewed up close. Before visiting, check whether anything has changed since this description was written.
A distinct focus: Ravensbrück
The Ravensbrück Memorial and Museum is an open educational institution on the shore of Lake Schwedt, in the former village of Ravensbrück. Its permanent exhibition, “The Ravensbrück Women’s Concentration Camp – History and Remembrance,” addresses the history and postwar legacy of the Ravensbrück women’s concentration camp during the Nazi era. This visit is clearly different in focus from the exhibitions on local history: the concentration camp’s history and its postwar legacy are central here. Check the memorial’s latest visitor information before your visit.
If your stay includes several interests, you can group the activities by topic rather than treating them as similar stops: the canoe tour explores the Havel waterways around the old town, the Local History Exhibition focuses on the town’s past, and Ravensbrück offers a distinct historical focus. Guided town tours and nature tours provide another way to tailor your choices to the perspective you want on Fürstenberg/Havel and its surroundings.
Discover more destinations
Discover more destinations: Himmelpfort, Oranienburg, Liebenwalde, Schönermark, Birkenwerder, Stechlin, Amalienfelde, Großmutz.
Back to the regional travel overview: Oberhavel.
