Alt-Schadow

Alt-Schadow is located east of Lake Neuendorf and is the northernmost place in the Spreewald Biosphere Reserve. There are two campsites near the lake. With the Godnasee, there is another lake not far from the village.
The first documentary mention was in 1424. Initially, the village was settled by Sorbians, was only called Schadow and belonged to the lordship of Storkow. Due to its location on the main road from Cottbus to Berlin, Schadow gained a certain traffic and economic importance. Above all, the handling of livestock transports brought income to the village. There was a church in the village. However, the church standing in the area of today's village square was destroyed in the Thirty Years' War. After turf ironstone had been found in the area, Frederick II of Prussia ordered the establishment of the Hüttenplatz colony and the settlement of craftsmen from the Palatinate and the construction of two blast furnaces. In 1753 it was renamed Alt-Schadow. The factory was destroyed in the Seven Years' War and later not rebuilt. In 1773, Alt-Schadow was incorporated into the parish of Neu Schadow. A major fire in 1854 destroyed almost all buildings in Alt-Schadow. Many of the new buildings erected directly after the disaster still characterize the townscape in the 21st century. The population lived mainly from the forestry and timber industry. An existing weir from 1911 also served as a transshipment point for wood. From about the beginning of the 19th century, the place gained importance as a local recreation area for Berlin, which was located further north. In 1925, Alt-Schadow had 336 inhabitants. By 1933, the number had risen to 365, only to fall back to 335 by 1939. During the Second World War, the historic bridge over the Spree at Alt-Schadow was blown up. In 1954, a new bridge was built.

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