Velten: Ceramic Culture, the Töppertour and Bernsteinsee
Accommodation in Velten
Velten combines water-based activities with a distinctive history of ceramics. At Bernsteinsee, options range from swimming and relaxing on the sandy beach to games and exercise; meanwhile, local themed trails explore the history of the town of stoves. Families looking to bring together different interests can choose from a variety of discoveries: a day at the lake, an interactive tour or a closer look at the ceramic collections.
Bernsteinsee: Beach, Games and Water Sports
Bernsteinsee in Velten is 750 metres long and 170 metres wide. Broad sandy beaches and sunbathing areas offer different ways to spend time by the water. There is also a playground and a beach volleyball court. Families travelling with children can include these facilities in their day’s plans, along with swimming; those who prefer to be active can also visit the Velten water-ski and wake park at the lake. Its circuit is 720 metres long. With its combination of different activities, the lake is a clear focal point for visitors who want to discover Velten’s waterside appeal as well.
Explore Velten’s Stove-Making History on Foot
The approximately three-kilometre-long Veltener Töppertour begins at the station square and ends at the museums. At 25 information panels, you can learn how the boom in stove tiles changed the town and the everyday lives of its people. The route combines a manageable distance with a specific theme from the town’s history. There is a separate version for families: an approximately one-kilometre-long interactive children’s tour with a digital audio guide. The two routes offer different ways to explore the pottery tradition; the family version focuses on interactive discovery.
The Deutsche Tonstraße is on a different scale: this 215-kilometre circular route begins and ends at the museums in Velten. This distinguishes the local Töppertour from a much longer circular route that also starts and finishes in Velten. Around the town of stoves, secluded field and forest paths, including routes through the Luchwiesen meadows, also invite visitors to go cycling. These paths offer another perspective on the destination, beyond the lake and museum.
Ceramics in the Museums
The Velten Stove and Ceramics Museum preserves more than 4,000 individual tiles, stove parts, stove ornaments and stove models. It presents stove art spanning three centuries. The collection also includes well over 2,000 decorative and functional ceramic objects, dating mainly from the 1920s and 1930s. The museum is housed in the listed former Schmidt-Lehmann stove factory. The Hedwig Bollhagen Museum presents around 1,600 publicly accessible objects from Hedwig Bollhagen’s ceramic estate. Together, these collections showcase different facets of Velten’s ceramic culture: stove art, individual tiles and stove parts, as well as decorative and functional ceramics.
Choose Velten as Your Destination
Digital visitor information is available at several locations in town: information pillars providing orientation and up-to-date information are located at the station, on Museumsgasse and at Bernsteinsee.
You can also factor your journey into your plans: Velten is served by DB regional railway line RB55. If you are interested in the Töppertour, you can take its starting point at the station square into account when planning your day. Whether you are looking for time by the water, a family-focused tour or a deeper insight into the history of ceramics, these interests each give your stay in Velten its own character.
Discover More Destinations
More destinations for planning your own trip: Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg, Marzahn, Altglienicke, Buckow, Spandau, Wannsee, Berlin-Neukölln and Friedrichshain.
For the overview of destinations: Berlin.
