North and East Germany?

[ChimerasQuest]

I'm planning a month-long trip through germany starting late May 2004. I've just had a major change of plans, and have about a week of time that I'd like to fill. I'm interested in finding more places to visit in North and East germany. My south-west tour is pretty packed, but in the entire northeastern half of germany I've only got Berlin and Bremen. Any suggestions for great northeast stops? I'm interested in quite alot, I just need suggestions

Thanks!
-Kate

[Kim]

Hi Kate,

I know this isn't what you are asking (don't worry, dustoffmom will be able to help with them!) but I just wanted to suggest something.

When you are in Berlin, you HAVE to do the Brewers Best of Berlin walking tour - it's amazing. Terry, the guide, used to work for the British Embassy during the time of East and West Berlin and has incredible first hand knowledge and insight.

The tour leaves from the Circus and Clubhouse hostels, you can still sign up for it even if you aren't staying at either of those though, just go into one of them and tell them you want to sign up for the tour.

I'd say it was one of the best things we did in Europe!

It's long though, so pack a lunch or you can choose to eat at the restaurant he stops at. (We just ate outside cause we brought our lunches)

Kim

[LHR02]

With a week...there is so much to see right in the Berlin area that will more than fill your time. I have to advise right off that WWii history is my passion....so some of these may or may not interest you at all, but most are great general interest spots with loads to see and do.

Potsdam: So very worth visiting! Can be done easily as 'day trip' from Berlin, is in fact nowadays considered a suburb and reached via the s-bahn or train. The premier site is Sansoucci Palace, Frederick 1st 'summer' retreat. The old palace, new palace, windmill, the fabulous gardens. Allow several hours to see it all, sign up for tours as soon as you arrive. Also in Potsdam is Cecilienhof Palace, site of the Potsdam Conference between Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin. Potsdam was the 'royal' retreat area, has 19 lakes, numverous parks all within the city proper. The old dutch quarter is interesting as is the Russian Church. The Weisse Flotte (White Fleet) runs boat excursions from Berlin to Potsdam on the Havel River in Summer.

Wannsee - also on outskirts of Berlin, south towards Potsdam- site of the Wannsee Konferenz...the Nazi meeting that arrived at the final solution. This museum is not for the faint hearted!!! The Wannsee House is now open and full of documents and pictures, Nazi documentation and pictures and is the most horrofic WWII site I have visited, and that includes Auschwitz. The evil is almost palpable, but if you've any interest it is not to be missed.

Oranienburg, on the northern most limits of Berlin finds Sachsenhausen concentration camp. Very few buildings remain, it was used by the Soviets till sometime in the 60's if memory serves for their political prisoners....in some ways much more sterile than Dachua, but much less visited and more haunting in it's way.

Further afield:
Leipzig....home of Bach, Wagner, Goethe...a great musical city if you like opera or classical music. A world class university insures a younger group with cheap eats to be found. The Alt Rathaus, 400 years old, contains now the city museum with information back to medieval times. St. Thomas Church where Bach was the choir director and is buried, a lively and fun Marktplatz chock full of cafes with coffee and pastries to die for! If you visit, use the strassenbahn...cheap, regular and reliable and a good way to get among the locals and meet and greet.

Dresden.....how much I love this town! Easily worth 2 days, 3 would not having you run out of things to do. Town 90% destroyed in firebombings of the war, it is being painstakingly rebuilt and restored, although ugly soviet era buildings remain....almost adds a nice juxtaposition in a way. In town, the Frauenkirche, Sempreoper house, the Residence (schloss), the Zwinger museum complex....do not miss the Green Vault....and the Bruhl Terrace, called the balcony of Europe can fill your days. In summer you can take a boat on the Elbe to visit Pillnitz...the summer palace and gardens (fabulous!) or 15 miles out of town (reachable on the sbahn) is Konigstein, an ancient medieval/rennaissance fortress.

These, among other sights in and around Berlin would easily fill a week. Have you other interests or areas you would like to know about?

[jennifer]

Go Potsdam!
Go Dresden!
These two places were great!
Dresden was my favorite city of my 2001 trip!
It's so old, so historical and so charming at once! Definitely listen to all dustoff's comments, great guide this woman! )!
xoxo
Jen

[karlhoh]

See some old Hansa towns on the Baltic Sea coast. Lübeck and Rostock for instance. Between Berlin and Leipzig you also have Wittenberg - now called Lutherstadt Wittenberg to make it impossible to miss the historical importance of this old university town.