Fourteenth Stage “66-Lakes Hiking Trail”: The Schenkenländchen

This stage is all about Halbe, Wünsdorf, Schenkenländchen, two places of historical significance and stunning countryside. This stage has a maximum altitude of 80 metres and a minimum altitude of 34 metres. The stage features a 126-metre uphill section and a 129-metre downhill section.Length: 32 kilometres (8 hours)Start: HalbeFinish: WünsdorfLogo/route sign: Blue circle against a white backgroundHow to get there: Take the S7 (Ahrensfelde) line on the S-Bahn (rapid transit train) from Berlin central station to Berlin Ostkreuz. From here take the RB24 (Senftenberg) to Halbe (about 1 hour).Return journey: From Wünsdorf, take the RE5 (Rostock) to Berlin central station (about 1 hour).Route: Halbe, Teupitz, Tornow, Egsdorf, Zesch am See, Lindenbrück, WünsdorfRoute description: The Schenkenländchen is a small area near Lake Teupitzer See. The history of Teupitz, charmingly situated on and by a peninsula, goes back to before medieval times. The scenery is so beautiful, and to fully enjoy it the path does not follow the shortest possible route. You should definitely not miss the route along Lake Tornower See to the Mittelmühle mill and also make the time walk round the small Lake Briesesee. A castle was built on what used to be an island and is now a peninsula. Later, it was converted into a palace and was used for all kinds of things - it is not currently being used for anything right now. The town, today’s Old Town, was built in front of it. The entire complex is worth seeing, and it is idyllically situated by the lake in surroundings typical for Mark Brandenburg. Halbe, at the start of this stage, is all about the horrors of war. At the end of the Second World War, one of the last major encirclement battles took place nearby, causing the death of tens of thousands. The large forest cemetery in Halbe is the main memorial site. We come across the consequences of this recent past in other places as well; later on, from Egsdorf onwards, we walk along the safe edge of an area classified as the highest risk level and marked all around it with red warning signs indicating live ammunition in unknown quantities still hidden in the ground. There is no need to worry, however, because the paths and the unsafe areas are very well signposted. This stage takes you through a varied countryside that is just as charming now as it was in Fontane’s time and it allows you to look at the water, woods and expanses in ever new ways.Sights:Teupitz: Mittelmühle mill, Old Town, castleHalbe: large forest cemetery with war memorialTrail conditions/surface: 35% of this stage takes you along natural forest paths, but outside the forest there are also quite a few paved paths. 30% of the route is partially paved and 35% fully paved. Most of this section is quietly situated.Maps/Literature:“66-Seen-Weg, Hikeline Wanderführer”, 1:50,000, Verlag: Esterbauer, Auflage: 2 (2012), ISBN-13: 978-3850005012, Euro 14.90“Wander- und Radwanderkarte 66-Seen-Weg: Zu den Naturschönheiten rund um Berlin”, 1:50.000, Verlag: Barthel, A., Auflage: 2 (1. Oktober 2011), ISBN-13: 978-3895911552, Euro 7.90Reschke, Manfred: “Die 66-Seen-Wanderung. Zu den Naturschönheiten rund um Berlin”, Trescher Verlag; Auflage 8, aktual. A. (2017), ISBN 978-3-89794-369-8, Euro 14.95“Topographische Karte Blatt 3846 Wünsdorf”, 1:25.000, Verlag: Landesvermessung und Geobasisinformation Brandenburg, Auflage: Nachdruck. (Dezember 2014), ISBN 3-7490-3367-6, Euro 5