Reichenwalde: Discover Churches, Lakes and Dunes

Reichenwalde combines the village’s fieldstone architecture with lakes, hiking destinations and a distinctive dune landscape in the surrounding area. The village is home to a fieldstone church with a square fortified tower. In the village district of Kolpin, you can hike to two lakes; nearby, you’ll find more churches and natural sights. This lets you include both cultural and scenic interests in your travel plans.

Church architecture in Reichenwalde and Dahmsdorf

The church in Reichenwalde is built of fieldstones and has a square fortified tower. Dahmsdorf is home to St. Thomas Church, a fieldstone building dating from the 13th and 14th centuries, making it one of Brandenburg’s oldest places of worship. Its interior is characterized by three narrow lancet windows and a simply designed, roughly plastered room. During its restoration, the original tower was demolished and replaced with a half-timbered roof turret that has been preserved to this day.

The two churches make different architectural impressions: Reichenwalde’s square fortified tower stands out, while Dahmsdorf’s lancet windows and half-timbered roof turret define its appearance. If you’re interested in architectural history, you can look at both the buildings’ exterior forms and the changes made to a church over time.

Kolpin, lakes and dune landscape

In the village district of Kolpin, part of the municipality of Reichenwalde, you can hike to the Kleiner Kolpiner See and Großer Kolpiner See. There is also a soccer golf course, considered a small attraction. The hiking destinations and soccer golf course cater to different leisure interests, each offering a distinct option when planning your stay.

Below Dahmsdorf, a bathing area on Lake Storkow lies on a wooded slope, with views of Hubertushöhe. If you plan to swim there, check access arrangements in advance.

A distinctive ridge of dunes can be traced northwest from Dahmsdorf to the Waltersberge hills near Storkow. West of the church in Dahmsdorf is a six-metre-high dune; at Waltersberge, there is an open dune almost 33 metres high. Their different heights make the two sites easy to distinguish, while the course of the dune ridge illustrates the landscape connection between them.

More destinations in the broader Oder-Spree travel region

The broader Oder-Spree travel region has more destinations with their own cultural highlights. In Neuzelle, the five-hectare Baroque garden was restored according to original plans from the 1758 monastery atlas. Baroque pathways, water features and terraced grounds characterize the garden. This offers a different perspective on cultural history from the fieldstone churches in and around Reichenwalde: here, garden design and water features take centre stage; there, it’s the buildings, tower and interior.

Beeskow Castle also brings together several historical perspectives. The listed complex includes buildings dating from 1250 to 1550; the 30-metre-high keep has a viewing platform. Since the 1990s, the castle has also hosted theatre performances, concerts and festivals. If you’d like to combine your visit with an event, check the specific dates in advance.

Another highlight in the broader Oder-Spree travel region is Lake Scharmützelsee. It covers around 1,200 hectares and is about 30 metres deep. Its clear water has visibility of up to four metres and attracts anglers, divers, sailors and swimmers to the region. This means that, alongside hiking destinations at the Kolpin lakes, water sports and swimming at Lake Scharmützelsee are also regional interests to consider—in a different location within the Oder-Spree travel region.

Discover more destinations: Werder, Woltersdorf, Neuzelle, Storkow, Wulkow, Wiesenau, Berkenbrück, Jacobsdorf.

Back to the broader travel overview: Oder-Spree.