From Berlin, racing down the Autobahn some 80 kilometers (50 miles) will take the sophisticated tourist to Lübbenau, one of Brandenburg’s many picturesque spots. Down here it is all about channels, boats and pickles.
Lübbenau dates back to the year 1301. Scripts from back then mention it as a castle. In the past 700 years, it has been converted to a beautiful tourist destination. The historic center of this town with around 16,000 inhabitants is surrounded by nice gardens and little channels.
From Industrial Town to Tourist Haven
Located in a large park, Lübbenau Palace was completed in 1820. Graf zu Lynar, an officer in Nazi Germany’s Wehrmacht, lived here. A plaque on the palace commemorates him because of his role in the assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler on July 20th, 1944, for which he was executed on September 29th of the same year.
Numerous Jews lived in Lübbenau and the Niederlausitz region it belongs to. Many of them were murdered in Nazi Germany’s concentration camps. Others managed to flee to what was Palestine back then, or elsewhere in the world. Sylvia Kolley did a lot of research on Jews from the region and listed many names on a website dedicated to them (in German).
In the GDR, the communist leadership turned Lübbenau into an industrial town and erected some of those typical apartment blocks found all over Eastern Europe. After Germany’s reunification, tourism became the core of what the town offered. Because of its quietude and nature, Lübbenau is an official resort.
Pickles Grown in Lübbenau
The palace, which was refurbished some 15 years ago, accommodates an expensive hotel today. Part of the building was just renovated again. The Orangerie, a side building which was used to accommodate sensitive plants in winter, is now a café and restaurant.
Pickles from Lübbenau are famous in Germany and abroad. The town reminds visitors of its specialty with pride and even sells them at the tourist information office in the town center.
Other than that, it is all about boat rides through Lübbenau’s little channels and the rivers in the region. Boat rental places on site offer it all. They have kayaks, canoes and similar rowing boats for one to five passengers. Those can be rented by the hour or for big tours lasting several days. Some rentals in Lübbenau even offer kayak tours to Berlin.
Tipsy on the Water
Lots of gondola-style tubs with tables provide more lazy visitors with the opportunity of drinking while a capable gondola captain moves the boat through the channels. Getting drunk, or at least tipsy, on the water is not a problem in Lübbenau. At least is wasn’t before the Corona crisis hit.