Briesen (Mark): Canal History, Local Heritage Museum and Parkland

Briesen (Mark) combines rail connections with engaging themes from local and technological history. Kersdorf Lock, the local heritage museum and Alt Madlitz Manor Park offer different points of interest during your stay. When choosing a hotel, consider whether you mainly want to explore local exhibitions and landscape features or also include other destinations in the wider Oder-Spree travel region.

Getting there by train

Briesen (Mark) railway station is on the Berlin–Frankfurt (Oder) line, with regular train services in both directions. This makes rail travel a practical starting point for planning your journey. Check current services before you travel.

Canal lock and canal history

The Kersdorf Lock Information Centre displays an original 1904 lock model at a scale of 1:20, along with the foundation-stone certificate of Kaiser Wilhelm I. The model is on permanent loan from the Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin Foundation. A second perspective is offered by the exhibition in the listed lock keeper’s house at the North Kersdorf Lock. It provides information about the history of the Oder–Spree Canal. The shift in focus takes visitors from the scale model and certificate to the history of the canal.

Local history and park design

Admission to the local heritage museum in Briesen (Mark) is free. Visits must be arranged by telephone and are possible during opening hours; please confirm your appointment with the museum in advance. The exhibition comprises around 1,000 artefacts from every historical period. This broad chronological perspective complements the exhibitions, which focus more specifically on the lock and canal.

The Briesen deer monument, with its inscription in reconstructed form, stands between Briesen (Mark) and Kersdorf Lock. In Alt Madlitz Manor Park, large oaks and chestnuts line landscaped vistas. The two sights offer different impressions: a single monument in one place, and a park with tree-lined views in the other.

More destinations in the wider Oder-Spree travel region

Beyond Briesen (Mark), Oder-Spree offers a range of themes to consider when planning your trip. In Bad Saarow, the Lesser Promenade runs for around 1.5 kilometres along the lakeshore, from Kurpark to Fontanepark. A different focus is the five-hectare Neuzelle Baroque Garden: restored according to the original plans in the 1758 abbey atlas, it features Baroque pathways, water features and terraces.

In Beeskow, the listed castle ensemble brings together buildings dating from 1250 to 1550. It includes a 30-metre-high keep with an observation platform. Since the 1990s, the castle has been a venue for theatre performances, concerts and festivals; public guided tours of Beeskow’s historic old town are also available. Check tour dates in advance. The wider Oder-Spree travel region therefore offers a variety of themes to choose from: a lakeside path, Baroque garden architecture, or castle and town culture.

Discover more destinations: Brieskow-Finkenheerd, Grünheide, Reichenwalde, Bad Saarow, Friedland, Steinhöfel, Beeskow, Wilmersdorf.

See the overview of the wider travel region: Oder-Spree.