Hermannswerder - Paddeling over the waves

A good starting point for hobby captains is the island Freundschaftsinsel at the Alte Fahrt. Past the newly built structures of the city centre with Potsdam Museum, Brandenburg Parliament and Museum Barberini the paddle tour leads directly to lake Templiner See. The view falls on the residential development of the Speicherstadt. There, the tower of the former Royal Prussian Provisioning Office that supplied the town with grain in the middle of the 19th century, stands out. Nearby, the Judengraben which has been named like this since the 18th century leads to the Havel bay „Hinterkappe“. This canal was named after a Jewish owner of a tannery and separates Hermannswerder from the mainland.

You paddle past buildings of the Hoffbauer Foundation, which unites numerous educational institutions on the island. The Schafgraben right by the beach bar of the „arcona Hotel am Havelufer“ still leads water from Sanssouci Park into the river Havel today. From 1764, the moat was used to ship the building materials for the New Palace from the Havel to the park.

Passing the ferry dock, the view wanders into Neustadt‘s Havel Bay with its striking Steam Engine Building in the shape of a mosque. Even today, the water for Sanssouci Park is pumped from here into the water basin on Ruinenberg hill. The solitary building of the restaurant „Seerose“, built by Ulrich Müther, forms a GDR counterpart to the Steam Engine Building. At Obere Planitz, the Havel waves lead you over the lake Templiner See and Alte Fahrt back to the island Freundschaftsinsel.

 Getting there:

by bicycle (a service of komoot GmbH)
by public transport (a service of VBB)
by train (a service of Bahn AG)
All about local traffic

 Features and categories:

The above entry is a service of TMB Tourismus Marketing Brandenburg GmbH. For content changes please contact Potsdam Marketing and Service GmbH.