Petershagen-Eggersdorf in Brandenburg is located just east of Berlin, making it a wonderful day trip away from the big city chic. Getting here couldn’t be more convenient with frequent rail service to/from the capital.
You might be wondering, why should you come to this neck of the woods when a place like Berlin has so much to offer? Simply put, two words: a marvelous lake created from the Ice Age. Okay, that’s actually more than 2 words, but you get the point.
There is no better to cure to tired muscles than relaxing beachside and the Bötzsee is just to the place to do it. This lake stretches for about 2 miles within a Nature Preserve inside the Oderland. Thanks to the melting ice of the last Ice Age, you’re able to enjoy its beach or rent any number of row boats that are readily available.
The entire place really has a quiet relaxed feel, as motorboats aren’t allowed which really does cut down noise factor. Bötzsee also makes the perfect stage to sit and enjoy the musical concerts played here.
You’re gonna need to relax after you’ve gone sightseeing around here. Sadly, one of the most interesting of places sits empty. It’s the Dorfkrug, or Old Village Inn, and if you listen closely you’ll hear the din of its 600 year history and the story of how it was destroyed during the Thirty Years’ War.
Older than the Dorfkrug is the Country Inn on Mill Pond. It was once a mulberry plantation and has been a staple of the town since the 13th century.
Closeby you’ll find the Büdnerhaus, a charming half timbered building that survived a 19th century fire only because residents had moved it across from its original location years before.
There is no “following the yellow brick road” here, but you’ll be able to visit the yellow brick Evangelical Church in Eggersdorf. It was built in 1870 in the “new Gothic” style, so it actually looks older than it is.
You can see the church from the Eggersdorf Market Square, surrounded by little shops. It’s also where everyone gathers for any of the town’s functions and holidays, including the town’s popular medieval festival in May.
Yeah, sure, you can choose to spend your time in Berlin. But, Petershagen-Eggersdorf deserves some of it, too.
