If you belong to the “Don’t drag me to another castle or church in Germany” Club, I got to tell you that Altlandsberg in Brandenburg, just a cat jump east of Berlin, might not be the right place to visit.
However, if you can’t get enough of historical churches and get all a tingly when you’ve got a German castle (whether whole or in ruins) in your sights, then you’ve come to the right place.
Altlandsberg belongs to the German Association of Cities with Historic Town Centers. Yeah, that’s a mouthful, but it tells you much more than that.
As with any proper medieval city it has a Stadtmauer — a defense wall that kept residents safe from masked marauders and invaders. The wall’s Berliner Turm (Berlin Tower) and the Strausberger Turm (Strausberg Tower) still stand after all these centuries.
Within Altlandsberg’s six districts there are at least that many beautiful churches to see. The Village Church in Wesendahl, the Village Church Buchholz (later rebuilt in ornate Baroque), the Seeberg-Dorf, Wegendorf Village Church, and the Parish Church of St. Mary were all originally built in the 13th century. All of them, except St. Mary’s, are now Evangelical churches — in case you want to come for Sunday services.
There’s also the Castle Church, which was built in a Baroque style. It’s too bad nothing but the foundations and basement remain of the original schloss, but with a little imagination you can picture the castle as you would have wanted it to look.
Castle Wilkendorf is still here, although you’ll think you’re in the English countryside rather than Germany, since it looks more like an English manor from the late 19th century. With two 18-hole golf course located nearby, you can see it while hittin’ the links.
After you’ve had a few rounds of golf, all that’s left is the Soviet Cemetery over by the Marktplatz and the Old Farmhouse that’s now Altlandberg’s Cultural Center.
I sure hope that you don’t belong to the “not another church or castle” club, because someone would love to see you here. ;-)