Industrial history meets garden culture – a town walk

The town walk through “Berlin’s front garden” from Wildau to Zeuthen is a journey through the town’s industrial history. However, the lakeland scenery on the south-eastern edge of the capital also offers an opportunity to relax in the natural world, plus a surprising garden experience.Length: 11 kilometres (3-4 hours)Start: Wildau, finish: ZeuthenLogo/route sign: not specifiedHow to get there: From Berlin central station, take the RE2 (Cottbus) to Königs Wusterhausen. From here take the S46 (Westend) to Wildau (about 45 minutes).Return journey: From Zeuthen, take the S8 (Birkenwerder) to Berlin Ostkreuz. Continue from here by taking the S7 (Potsdam Hbf) to Berlin central station (Hauptbahnhof) (about 45 minutes).Route description: The walk starts at Wildau station. The mariners and their families who settled along the River Dahme used to supply bricks to Berlin, and the area later became famous as an industrial base. The Schwarzkopff locomotive factory dominated the town. A circular walk around the Schwarzkopff settlement, which is now under monument protection, is recommended. Right next to this, the old industrial units have come back to life again. The Technical University and the Aerospace Centre are now located in the restored factory buildings around an old locomotive. The lakeside Villa am See – Klubhaus & Hafen restaurant and beer garden, built around 100 years ago, has been completely revamped and is the ideal spot for a break. The garden culture has also benefited from the industrial history of the area. The Zeuthen Chinese Garden right by the waterside is a great insider tip – an oasis of calm, full of oriental elements. The walk along Am Seegarten, with its broad view across Lake Zeuthener See as far as the “Dussmann Villa” is also a gem. On the way back, walkers can go through the open gates of the "Gartenfreunde Zeuthen" gardening club along Am Flutgraben and Am Plumpengraben to take a stroll through the allotment estate, with almost 200 gardens.Sights:Locomotive worksSchwarzkopff settlementChinese GardenPromenade am SeegartenAllotment estateTrail conditions/surface: properly surfacedMaps/Literature:“Topographische Freizeitkarte - Wandern, Radfahren - Dahme Seengebiet”, 1:25.000, Verlag: Landesvermessung und Geobasisinformation Brandenburg, 1. Juli 2010, ISBN: 978-3-7490-4078-0, Euro 6“Große Radwander- und Wanderkarte Naturpark Dahme-Heideseen: Ausflüge zwischen Märkisch Buchholz, Teupitz, Königs Wusterhausen und Storkow (Mark)”, 1:35.000, Verlag: Barthel, A, Auflage: 3 (1. Juni 2015), ISBN-13: 978-3895910920, Euro 5.90