The Quiet Charm of Brandenburg

Famous for its picturesque landscape of lakes, rivers and canals, never-ending fields and forests as well as medieval castles, churches and quaint villages, Brandenburg literally lies at Berlin’s doorstep and offers an abundance of possibilities for a quick getaway.

In need of some quiet and peace, my sister and I decided to rent a small cottage on the outskirts of Brandenburg an der Havel. We were lucky enough to find a dog-friendly one, so I could bring along Milo, my Border Collie mix. He recently traveled all the way from Jakarta to Berlin in an airplane, so I reckoned a one-hour-drive in our car would be a piece of cake for him.

He was more excited than we were, staring out of the car window, wagging tail and tongue sticking out. When we reached the cottage, and I took his leash off so he could explore the huge garden, Milo was delirious with joy – he almost didn’t know what to do with so much space and freedom. 

The cottage was neat, practical and well-maintained: it had everything we needed for a relaxing couple of days, including two sun loungers and a spacious outdoor terrace where we could have our meals. We drove to the nearest supermarket to stock up on groceries. Queuing at the checkout, I noticed that the cashier addressed many of her customers by name, inquiring about their families and wishing them a nice weekend.

When it was our turn, she gave us a quizzical look. “You’re not from here, are you?” We told her that we were just visiting from Berlin for two nights and were staying at the cottage around the corner. She nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, I know this cottage, it’s quite cozy up there. Well, I hope you enjoy your stay in Brandenburg.”

Isn’t this just lovely?

After returning to our cottage, we decided to take Milo for a walk and explore our surroundings. A couple of steps to the left, then down the field road, and we stopped in our tracks because we realized: we were, quite literally, in the middle of nowhere.

“Do you hear this?”, my sister asked me.

“What?”, I replied.

“Exactly. Nothing.”

At the end of the path, there was a farm. It was Milo’s first time to see pigs, sheep and a large horse (he was interested in the former, but used the “if I look away and ignore you, you’ll leave me alone, right?” strategy with the horse). We noticed that we couldn’t really go beyond the farm when a young man walked by – not the least surprised, angry or annoyed that we were standing on private property.

“Unfortunately, the footpath ends here,” he said. “You need to go all the way around – unless you want to cross our paddock? It’s no problem, you can just walk right through.”

“Right by the horse?! No chance in hell!”, Milo’s facial expression seemed to tell me.

We thanked the young man and turned back, finding another way that led us past other cottages, through fields and by a bubbling brook. Around us, there was nothing but nature, and only the hoof- and footprints on the ground indicated that others had been here before us.

In the evening, we whipped up a little pasta and enjoyed the tranquility of our cottage, only occasionally interrupted by Milo who was determined to become “the catcher of the fly” and once in a while came back to the table, looking for our approval, and possibly letting us know about the body count through his excited panting.

After sundown, it was quite chilly – nothing like the evenings spent on our terrace in Berlin, as the city tends to heat up, but here, in Brandenburg, we were happy to snuggle up under a blanket on the sofa, book in hand.

The next morning over breakfast, we discussed what to do on our second day – there was the option of driving into town and visiting the sights of Brandenburg an der Havel, or to drive a bit further to see the lakes.

Situated to the west of Brandenburg an der Havel are a number of lakes that are directly linked to one another: Quenzsee, Breitlingsee, Möserscher See, Plauer See and Wendsee. We favored the idea of spending the day on the shores of a lake instead of venturing into the city – after all, it was stillness that we sought.  

We got into the car, turned on the GPS but in the end decided to go wherever the road would take us: that way, we had the opportunity to explore a nature conservation area (this walk, however, was cut short when my sister suddenly saw a snake happily slithering across the pathway and with a panicked face but a calm voice told me to “hurry back to the car!”), get lost in an enchanted forest and hang out by the lake.

Milo liked the lake so much that he refused to get back into the car when we wanted to leave. We already saw ourselves sending a WhatsApp message to our parents: “Sorry, we had to move to Kirchmöser, please come visit when you have time.” However, after a while, he changed his mind and we could drive back to our cottage without further incidents.

In the early evening, we took another stroll around the neighborhood. The houses to our left and right almost seemed abandoned, with closed windows and shutters, and an eerie silence enveloping the empty streets. I channeled my inner Titanic voice: “Is there anyone alive out there? Can anyone hear me?” I was so happy to come across other pedestrians and cyclists that I smiled at them in delight.

Back in our cottage, we enjoyed another quiet evening before packing up our stuff and leaving the next day around noon. Milo happily jumped into the car, ready for a new adventure, and almost seemed disappointed to find himself back in Berlin one hour later.

However, it’s just wonderful to know that there is much more to see in Brandenburg – as a holiday destination, it is shamefully underrated. At the same time, it was exactly the reclusion that was most appealing to us. The friendly, down-to-earth people and splendid nature were an added bonus – enough to make us want to come back as soon as possible. 

Travel advice:

In Brandenburg, it is easiest to get around by car as the public transport like buses and trains don’t reach the more remote areas. Alternatively, you can rent a bicycle to explore the region.

If you want to bring your dog, check out this website (German only) for dog-friendly cottages and houses: https://www.ferien-mit-hund.de/