Glienicke/Nordbahn combines its proximity to Berlin with extensive nature reserves. The Kindelwald is associated with walks and nature watching. At the same time, buildings and memorial sites tell of several chapters in the town’s history. Nature, architecture, and the history of the division therefore offer distinct themes to explore when planning your trip.
Nature and the Townscape
The Kindelwald is associated with walks and nature watching, offering a different way to experience the area than its historic buildings. The townscape, too, cannot be understood through individual sights alone: established avenues and landscaped gardens are part of it, alongside detached and semi-detached houses, town villas, and Gründerzeit-era houses. Nature and the town’s built history thus offer two distinct perspectives on Glienicke/Nordbahn.
Church, Marienhof, and Town Hall
The Evangelical Church of Glienicke/Nordbahn replaced a half-timbered clay church dating from 1705 in 1864. The present building was constructed in the neo-Romanesque style from pale yellow, unplastered Birkenwerder bricks; the church has been a listed monument since 1997. Its style and visible brickwork give the building a distinctive architectural character.
The Marienhof also connects architectural history with a biography: Glienicke architect Johannes Bendik designed the building, which was constructed in 1967. It has been a listed monument since 1998. Walter Felsenstein spent his final eight years at the Marienhof. The historic town hall opened in 1932 and has also been a listed monument since 1998.
A 3,000-year-old bronze find is on display at the municipal library. It opens up a much earlier time horizon than the architectural history of the church, Marienhof, and town hall. The town’s history can therefore be viewed from different angles: as an archaeological past, as the development of buildings, and as the memory of specific events.
Traces of the Division
Orange information pillars mark the sites of former border installations in Glienicke. The “Duck’s Beak” refers to a distinctive border configuration: at Sandkrug, it was enclosed on three sides by the Berlin city boundary and the Berlin Wall. At Ottostraße, a pillar commemorates the Aargaard Tunnel, which ran beneath the road toward Hermsdorf. In March 1963, 13 people escaped through the tunnel. The information pillars, the unusual border configuration, and the tunnel memorial illustrate different aspects of the history of the border.
Plan Your Stay
When deciding on your trip, you can consider nature watching, architectural history, and remembrance of the border as distinct areas of interest. Proximity to Berlin may also factor into your choice of destination. Beyond Glienicke/Nordbahn, Oberhavel offers further historical perspectives: Oranienburg Palace is the oldest Baroque palace in the Margraviate of Brandenburg. In Oranienburg, the Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum explores various aspects of the area’s history in 13 smaller permanent exhibitions and is also a modern museum of contemporary history.
Discover more destinations: Mühlenbecker Land, Oranienburg, Leegebruch, Sonnenberg, Großmutz, Schönermark, Birkenwerder, Liebenwalde.
Return to the main travel overview: Oberhavel.
