Discover Beelitz

Beelitz combines an old town dating back around 800 years with a history of churches and pilgrimage, the development of asparagus cultivation, and activities at Water Tower Park. If you are looking for a hotel in Beelitz, these varied themes can help you plan your explorations: you can focus on architectural history, put the town’s historical connection to asparagus into context, or make room for exercise and stargazing. This allows you to tailor your stay to the interests you want to pursue locally.

Old Town, Church and Mill

The Beelitz Old Town is around 800 years old, and its historic buildings invite exploration. Beelitz Town Church was first mentioned in a document in 1247. It was initially a Romanesque pillar basilica built of hewn fieldstones. The Holy Blood legend made Beelitz the first pilgrimage site in the area east of the Elbe and possibly also in the German-speaking world. A chapel was built around 1340. These dates mark different phases in the local history of the church and pilgrimage: the early documentary mention of the town church and the later construction of the chapel. Ernst Vogel Watermill stands on the edge of the Old Town on Mühlenstraße and offers another named landmark in the townscape.

Asparagus History and Water Tower Park

The history of asparagus can also be told as a local story of development. In 1861, Beelitz farmer and burgher Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Herrmann was the first to cultivate asparagus on a commercial scale; little by little, other Beelitz residents followed his example. Alongside its architectural history, Beelitz thus offers a second historical perspective: the development of agricultural cultivation.

Beelitz Water Tower Park offers a range of activities. The Activity Park combines the historic vegetation around the water tower with new facilities. Paths, along with exercise, play and relaxation features, make the grounds easy to enjoy. The skate park includes a bowl, a quarter pipe and a plaza, as well as a graffiti wall, trampolines and a “chill area.” Skate features sit alongside paths and other exercise, play and relaxation features. If a particular skate feature is important to you, check its current condition before visiting.

The Beelitz Stargazers are based in the water tower and invite visitors to events and stargazing sessions offering a “view from above.” If you are planning to attend an event or go stargazing, check the dates in advance.

A Nearby Destination

Nearby, Beelitz-Heilstätten provides further context. There, the treetop walkway runs at a height of just over 20 metres through a species-rich mixed forest and past historic buildings in the former A Quadrant. Please check current access arrangements with the operator before your visit.

Potsdam-Mittelmark as a Wider Destination

Across the wider Potsdam-Mittelmark destination, the Beelitz Asparagus Route links asparagus farms in the districts of the city of Beelitz. You can follow it by car or on cycling and hiking trails; for specific directions, check the current signage. Other historic destinations in Potsdam-Mittelmark offer different highlights: Eisenhardt Castle, above Bad Belzig, is a cultural landmark where visitors can experience the Middle Ages firsthand. In the Middle Ages, Ziesar Castle was an important bishop’s residence, and it impresses visitors with its well-preserved architecture. Wiesenburg Castle is considered a masterpiece of the Renaissance and is surrounded by a landscape park. Reckahn Castle is dedicated to the life and work of Prussian reformer Friedrich Eberhard von Rochow; the permanent exhibition “Reason for the People” has been presented there since 2001.

Discover more destinations: Beelitz-Heilstätten, Fichtenwalde, Golm, Zauchwitz, Werder an der Havel, Potsdam, Kleinmachnow, Beetzseeheide.

For the wider travel overview: Potsdam-Mittelmark.