Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Grosser Müggelsee and around
Take a boat with Stern und Kreisschiffahrt from the quay opposite the Rathaus in Köpenick, tram #60 from Köpenick's Schlossplatz, or the
S-Bahn to Friedrichshagen
Sitting just a few kilometres east of Köpenick, the
Grosser Müggelsee
is one of Berlin's
main lakes, with a couple of suburbs -
Friedrichshagen
and
Rahnsdorf
- with lovely,
small-town atmospheres. he shores of the lake and the surrounding woods provide
welcome relief from pounding Berlin's relentless urban streets, but beware - the
Müggelsee area can get crowded at any time of year - in summer, people swarm here
for sun and sailing, and in winter to go ice-skating.
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Friedrichshagen
Friedrichshagen
is a small town founded in 1753 as a settlement for Bohemian
cotton spinners who, as a condition of their being allowed to live here, were legally
required to plant mulberry trees to rear silkworms. Both trams and trains stop beside
Friedrichshagen's main drag,
Bölschestrasse
, where a number of single-storey houses
survive from the original eighteenth-century settlement, dwarfed by later nineteenth-
century blocks, and a few vestigial mulberry trees still cling to life at the roadside.
About halfway down this otherwise attractive street the
Christophoruskirche
, a
gloomy neo-Gothic church in red brick, puts a Lutheran damper on things.
To get away from it, make for the lake, along Josef-Nawrocki-Strasse, passing the
extensive
Berliner Bürgerbrauerei
, the brewery from whose chimney the red flag flew
provocatively the day Hitler was sworn in as chancellor. Following the road around
leads to a small park at the point where the Spree flows into the Grosser Müggelsee.
You can follow a foot tunnel under the river, and, at the other side take a path that
follows the lakeshore through the woods. Perfect for strolling, it leads all the way to
the Müggelberge, 2km away (see below).
Rahnsdorf
Reached by S-Bahn or tram #61 from Friedrichshagen, the little town of
Rahnsdorf
is
one of eastern Berlin's more delightful hidden corners, a sprawl of tree-shaded lakeside
houses with an old fishing village at its core. Head for
Dorfstrasse
, a cobbled street at
the southern end of the village (bus #161 from the S-Bahn to “Grünheider Weg”, then
follow the signs for Altes Fischerdorf ), lined by fishermen's cottages and centred around
a small parish church. he best way to explore Rahnsdorf is to simply wander the
lakeside and soak up the atmosphere. Just off Fürstenwalder Damm, on the western
edge of town, there's an FKK (
Freikörperkultur
)
nudist beach
.
The Müggelberge
Accessed via a 2km lakeshore path from Friedrichshagen (see above) or bus #X69 from
Köpenick S-Bahn, the
Müggelberge
are a series of rolling forested hills overlooking the
Grosser Müggelsee. From bus stop Rübezahl, a path leads south through the woods up
to the summit.
Around about the halfway mark is the
Teufelssee
(Devil's Lake), a small pool with
a glass-smooth surface, from which various nature trails start. More information
on these, and on the flora and fauna of the area, can be obtained at the nearby
Lehrkabinett
information centre (May-Sept Wed-Fri 10am-4pm, Sat & Sun
10am-5pm; Oct-April Wed, hurs, Sat & Sun 10am-4pm).
Pushing on and up through the woods leads to the
Müggelturm
(closed for
renovations), a functional-looking observation tower offering great views of the lake
and woods, plus a café, bar and restaurant (also closed for renovations). Both the
Teufelssee and Müggelturm are accessible by foot along reasonably well-surfaced tracks
from the main road.
