Schönwalde-Glien: Forest Trails, Cycling Routes and Culture

Schönwalde-Glien can be explored through a range of interests: forest trails and hikes, cycling tours, and historic buildings and art. When planning your trip, it is worth keeping these themes distinct. Some offerings are described as routes, others as historic sites or exhibitions; each has a different focus for your stay.

Forest Trails and Hikes

The Waldwichtelpfad in Schönwalde-Glien has 11 stations and is more than three kilometres long. It can be enjoyed as a nature trail, a fitness trail or an exploration route. These descriptions emphasise different things: experiencing nature, getting some exercise or discovering something along the way. This makes it easy to choose the trail based on what you want from an outing, without confusing the three ways of using it.

Forest hikes for adults and children are also organised by the Waldschule Pausin. It is worth checking the current dates when planning. The Waldwichtelpfad and the organised hikes are two different ways to explore the forest: the former is described as a trail with stations, while the latter are organised by the forest school.

Cycling Routes with Different Itineraries

The “Dörferkranz um den Krämer Forst” cycling route passes through Schönwalde-Glien and connects, among other places, its districts with Oberkrämer. This is distinct from the Krämer Forst cycling tour, which starts and ends in Schönwalde. Check the current route before setting off on this tour.

Another point of reference for cyclists is the Havelland Cycle Route, which runs directly alongside the MAFZ-Erlebnispark Paaren. Check a current route map before setting off if the exact itinerary is important to your plans. The Erlebnispark Paaren covers 23 hectares and is home to the only certified ARCHE domestic animal park in Brandenburg and Berlin. As certification status can change, it is worth checking the latest information if you are interested.

The three route descriptions answer different planning questions: the Dörferkranz is described as a route through Schönwalde-Glien with connections to places including Oberkrämer; the Krämer Forst cycling tour starts and ends in Schönwalde; and the Havelland Cycle Route runs alongside the MAFZ-Erlebnispark. Comparing these descriptions with a current route map will help you choose the one that best suits your ride.

Architectural History, an Organ and Art

The church in Schönwalde-Dorf houses a very well-preserved Wagner organ dating from 1739. In Paaren im Glien stands the Stägehaus, the oldest house in the district, built after the great village fire of 1678. The building is a Havelland-style central-passage house made of timber framing and clay walls. You can also see the traditional Havelland art of butter-making at the Stägehaus; check its current operating status before visiting.

Art enthusiasts will find the Kulturmühle in Perwenitz, which exhibits contemporary art and landscape painting. The exhibition programme can be checked separately. Together with the historic fabric of the Stägehaus and the 1739 organ, it offers a cultural perspective on different subjects: architectural styles, craft traditions and visual art. The individual descriptions can be explored according to personal interest, without suggesting that they are all part of a single exhibition venue.

The area around the Ziegenkrug is also steeped in history. The Ziegenkrug was a post station on the road through the forest, known as the “Hamburger Poststraße”. A sandstone milestone was erected near the Ziegenkrug in 1803 following precise surveying. The milestone and the former post station offer two specific points of connection for exploring historic navigation and travel in earlier times.

Water Engineering as Another Theme

The Schönwalde lock connects the different water levels of the Upper and Lower Havel Waterway on the Havel Canal, bypassing the Berlin metropolitan area. This makes it a different kind of outing from forest trails and historic buildings: here, the focus is on the function of a water engineering structure. When choosing a theme, you can therefore opt for nature, cycling, art and architectural history, or water engineering.

If you are looking for a hotel for a stay in Schönwalde-Glien, this thematic guide can help with your planning. Consider whether hikes and cycling routes, historic sites, art or water engineering are most important to your trip. Check dates for organised hikes, current route details and the cultural programme with the relevant providers whenever these details matter for your visit.

Discover more destinations: Seeblick, Ketzin, Havelaue, Nennhausen, Retzow, Börnicke, Friesack, Wassersuppe.

Back to the main travel guide: Havelland.