Glienicke/Nordbahn: Discover Nature and History

Glienicke/Nordbahn combines its proximity to Berlin with extensive nature reserves. Walks and nature watching in Kindelwald are among the activities associated with the town. The townscape also reflects different aspects of the community: mature avenues and landscaped gardens are complemented by detached and semi-detached houses, urban villas and houses dating from the Wilhelminian era. If you are looking for accommodation, you can consider nature and local history as different focuses for your trip.

Nature and Townscape

Glienicke’s natural side is evident in its extensive nature reserves and in the connection between Kindelwald and walking and nature watching. This offers a different way to experience the town than its architectural and border history: here the focus is on discovering nature, while there it is on buildings and historic sites. Together with the avenues, gardens and different types of houses, these features create a multifaceted picture of the community without reducing it to a single attraction.

Church Architecture and Marienhof

The Evangelical Church of Glienicke/Nordbahn illustrates a period of change in the town’s history. A church made of clay and timber framing, built in 1705, was replaced by the present building in 1864. The new building was constructed in the Neo-Romanesque style from pale yellow, unrendered bricks from Birkenwerder; the church has been a listed monument since 1997. Its style and building materials give it a distinct architectural character, while the time elapsed since its predecessor recalls an earlier phase of construction.

At Marienhof, architectural history and biographical memory meet. The building was constructed in 1967 to designs by Glienicke architect Johannes Bendik and has been a listed monument since 1998. Walter Felsenstein spent the last eight years of his life at Marienhof. These details offer a different perspective from the church: they connect a specific period of construction and the work of a local architect with Felsenstein’s life story.

Town Hall, Archaeological Find and Border History

The historic town hall opened in 1932 and has been a protected monument since 1998. Another glimpse into the past can be found in the municipal library, where a 3,000-year-old bronze artefact is on display. The town hall and the artefact represent different ways of experiencing history in the town: one through a historic building, the other through an archaeological find.

The history of the former border is also addressed at several locations. Orange information pillars mark the sites of former border installations in Glienicke. The Entenschnabel refers to a distinctive border configuration near Am Sandkrug: there, the district was enclosed on three sides by the Berlin city limits and the Berlin Wall. A pillar on Ottostraße commemorates the Aargaard Tunnel beneath the road towards Hermsdorf. In March 1963, thirteen people escaped through it. The pillars, the border configuration and the memory of the escape reveal different aspects of the town’s history.

Choose the Right Focus

When looking for accommodation in Glienicke/Nordbahn, you can first consider what you want your trip to focus on: nature watching and walks in Kindelwald, or architecture and border history. The community offers several distinct themes, from historic church buildings to marked sites along the former border. This lets you choose your destination based on the experiences that interest you most.

Discover more destinations: Oranienburg, Zehlendorf, Hohen Neuendorf, Fürstenberg/Havel, Birkenwerder, Amalienfelde, Wesendorf and Hennigsdorf.

View the regional travel overview: Oberhavel.