Discover Gransee: City History and Cycling Routes

Gransee combines city history with practical ways to explore the town on foot and by bike. You can walk around the city walls, and the Stechlinsee Cycle Route leads from the old town to several destinations. This makes it possible to distinguish between a stay focused on the historic town and a trip planned around a regional cycling route.

Discover the town’s history on foot

The city walls, dating from the early 14th century, can be circled on foot. They give a walk through Gransee a tangible historical connection. St. Mary’s Church is a landmark of Gransee and has two towers. The construction history of the Franciscan monastery is also among the town’s early historical landmarks: construction began around 1280 with the building of the church. The city walls and monastery thus represent different periods in Gransee’s history.

Museum, guided tours and towers

The local history museum and Gransee Tourist Information at Rudolf-Breitscheid-Straße 44 use dioramas and a town model from around 1930 to bring the town’s history to life. Guided tours of the town are organized through the local history museum and can be booked in advance there. You can also visit the Ruppiner Gate Tower and the Powder Tower; the key is available from the local history museum. The museum, guided tour and towers offer different ways to explore the town’s history, from the model of the town around 1930 to the towers you can enter.

Getting here and cycling connections

Gransee station is served by the RE 5 from Berlin Central Station and from the direction of Stralsund/Rostock. Train services may change, so check the current timetable before travelling. The Stechlinsee Cycle Route connects Gransee’s old town with the Stechlin Nature Park Visitor Centre in Menz, the village of Neuglobsow on Lake Stechlin, and the water town of Fürstenberg/Havel. The difference is one of scale: you can walk around the city walls in Gransee, while the cycling route connects the old town with several named places. This can help you decide between a visit focused on the town and planning a route with additional destinations.

Oberhavel as a regional setting

Within the wider travel destination of Oberhavel, the 66 Lakes Hiking Trail and the European Long-Distance Path E10 cross the district. Oberhavel is part of the Ruppiner Seenland tourism region. For hikers, these routes provide a regional point of reference alongside the specific paths in and around Gransee.

The Stechlin Nature Reserve is also part of the wider travel destination of Oberhavel. Its landscape was shaped by the Weichselian glaciation, and it is considered the area with the most bodies of water in the state of Brandenburg. The Stechlin Nature Park Visitor Centre has an interactive exhibition about the special features of Stechlin-Ruppiner Land Nature Park. Right next to the centre, a sensory garden with herbs, shrubs and other plants invites visitors to taste, smell, touch and listen. The approximately 6 km forest and water adventure trail around Roofensee can complement a visit to the nature park visitor centre.

Another themed route in the wider travel destination of Oberhavel is THEOsWEG. It runs from Meseberg to Neuglobsow, following in the footsteps of Theodor Fontane and passing places that inspired his works, particularly “Wanderings through the March of Brandenburg” and the novel “The Stechlin.” The wider region thus offers a range of different experiences: a nature park exhibition and sensory garden, a forest and water adventure trail, and a route connected with Fontane’s works.

Discover more destinations: Dannenwalde, Fürstenberg/Havel, Liebenwalde, Leegebruch, Löwenberger Land, Großmutz, Amalienfelde, Zehlendorf.

See the wider travel overview: Oberhavel.