Märkische Schweiz and Buckow
Brandenburg's oldest protected area, a pocket of hills and lakes in an otherwise flat region.
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The Märkische Schweiz is a small area of terminal moraine east of Berlin where the ice sheet left ridges, kettle lakes and steep gullies in a landscape that is otherwise almost entirely flat, which is why nineteenth-century visitors reached for the Switzerland comparison. It became a protected area in 1990 as one of Brandenburg's first nature parks, and parts had been protected since 1907. Buckow at its centre is a small spa town on two lakes. Bertolt Brecht and Helene Weigel had a summer house there from 1952, now a museum. The Buckower Kleinbahn, a historic tram line from Müncheberg, runs at weekends in season.
What you actually see
- The moraine landscape - hills, kettle lakes and gullies in flat country.
- The Brecht-Weigel house - the writers' summer home, kept as a museum.
- The Kleinbahn - a historic tram line running to Buckow in season.
- The lake walks - paths around the Schermützelsee and neighbouring waters.
When to go
April to October; the historic tram runs at weekends in season. The Brecht house closes Mondays and in winter. Autumn colour in the beech is good.
Honest expectations
The Switzerland name is nineteenth-century marketing; the hills are low. The tram runs only some days. Buckow is very small.
Nearby
Berlin lies west; the Oder valley is east.
What to pack for Märkische Schweiz and Buckow
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.