Discover Prignitz: River landscapes, the Elbe and culture

Prignitz combines river and floodplain landscapes with churches, a moated castle and museums that explore different chapters of regional history. The Brandenburg section of the cross-state “Flusslandschaft Elbe – Brandenburg” Biosphere Reserve covers around 53,000 hectares and lies almost entirely within the district of Prignitz. Nature experiences and culture can therefore be considered as different focal points for your stay.

Floodplains, water and cycle routes

For cycling tours, Prignitz offers 1,100 kilometres of designated cycle routes and 17 recommended tours. The recommended routes follow regional sights and distinctive features of the area. One example of how cycling and culture come together is the 410-kilometre Elbe-Müritz Circular Route: it connects rivers and lakes, and the church in Blüthen is right along the route. It is also a church for cyclists.

For those who prefer exploring on foot, the 14-kilometre Auenwildnis circular hiking trail runs through floodplain forests in the dike relocation area. There are also different ways to explore the water: tours on the Elbe that include wildlife watching in the biosphere reserve are reserved for experienced paddlers. Passenger boat trips are available on lakes and on the Havel and Elbe; Prignitz also has bathing waters. Some activities may be seasonal.

Churches, castles and regional history

In Bad Wilsnack, the late Gothic hall church of St. Nikolai, widely known as the Wunderblutkirche (Church of the Miraculous Blood), stands in the medieval pilgrimage town. The church contains a 15th-century wooden shrine of the Miraculous Blood with painted wing doors, as well as medieval stained glass that is considered the most important collection of its kind in Brandenburg. Plattenburg offers a different historical setting: it is the only preserved moated castle in northern Germany and gave the municipality its name. The Berlin-Wilsnack Pilgrimage Route passes through Plattenburg; the Bishop’s Tour also stops at the castle.

Museums offer further perspectives on history. The Blüthen Parish House Museum uses the parish archive, with records dating back to the 17th century, and the estate of Karl and Gerlinde Groß to convey what life was once like in an evangelical parish house. The Prignitz Village Museum in the same village features an old classroom and products of traditional crafts. In Pritzwalk, a permanent exhibition explores industrialisation in rural areas; visitors can also take part in activities at the museum printing works and hand-weaving workshop.

Founded in 1905, the Perleberg Town and Regional Museum presents key aspects of the cultural history of western Prignitz and the town, from the Stone Age onwards. The “Alte Burg” Town Museum in Wittenberge traces the town’s development from a small agricultural town to an industrial city, including the production of Singer and Veritas sewing machines and the transition from wartime to the GDR. The 13th-century Steintor has a dedicated exhibition about its former use as a prison, the Roaring Twenties and the Elbe in Wittenberge.

Nature experiences and activities for different age groups

The Burg Lenzen Visitor Centre focuses on the natural and cultural history of the river landscape, floodplain ecology, flood protection and the biosphere reserve. It also brings the 1,000-year cultural history of the town of Lenzen to life. Those interested in the region’s history in the 20th century can visit an exhibition at Meyenburg Castle Museum, where the life of a Prignitz resident provides a guiding thread.

In Rühstädt, the NABU exhibition “Weltenbummler Adebar” is devoted to the white stork; there is also a live feed of stork chicks being fed. Activities also include project days for school classes, holiday programmes, village tours and themed events for different age groups. The BUND Visitor Centre at Burg Lenzen offers guided canoe tours on the Löcknitz for families, adults and school classes. Dates are arranged on request, and the tours combine nature experiences with environmental education.

Choose the right focus for your stay

When choosing accommodation in Prignitz, it helps to decide which experiences matter most to you first: should cycling and the river landscape shape your stay, or would you rather focus on churches, castles and museums? Activities for different age groups may also play a part in your planning. For groups, the Westprignitz Ostrich Farm offers tours for eight or more people by telephone appointment; these include a tasting of ostrich sausage. Confirm the arrangements by phone before your visit.

Discover more places in Prignitz

Discover more places in Prignitz: Wootz, Perleberg, Rühstädt, Bad Wilsnack, Pritzwalk, Lenzen, Eldenburg, Mansfeld, Marienfließ, Gumtow, Plattenburg, Meyenburg, Gerdshagen, Groß Pankow, Wittenberge, Bad Wilsnack/Weisen, Halenbeck-Rohlsdorf, Lanz, Berge, Lenzerwische and Weisen.

For the overarching travel overview: Brandenburg.