Schönwalde-Glien: Discover forest paths and culture
Accommodation in Schönwalde-Glien
Schönwalde-Glien can be explored in a variety of ways: along a forest trail with stations, on cycle routes, and through cultural landmarks ranging from the Wagner organ to the historic Stägehaus. This lets you make outdoor activities and history different focal points of your stay. When looking for a holiday apartment, consider whether you’d rather spend most of your time outdoors or include art, architecture and the history of technology in your plans.
On foot and by bike
The Waldwichtelpfad (Forest Sprite Trail) in Schönwalde-Glien is more than three kilometres long and has eleven stations. It can be enjoyed as a nature walk, a fitness trail or an exploration route—three different ways to experience the same path. Forest walks for adults and children are organised from the Pausin Forest School. If you’d like to plan one of these walks, check the current dates in advance.
There are also different ways to set out by bike: the Havelland Cycle Route runs right alongside the MAFZ Erlebnispark Paaren, which covers 23 hectares. The “Dörferkranz um den Krämer Forst” cycle route passes through Schönwalde-Glien and connects local districts with places including Oberkrämer. The Krämer Forst cycle tour, meanwhile, starts and finishes in Schönwalde. This means you can choose from a cycle route alongside the park, a connection to Oberkrämer, or a tour that starts and ends in Schönwalde. Check the current route details before setting off.
Building history, art and technology
The church in Schönwalde-Dorf houses a very well-preserved Wagner organ dating from 1739. The Stägehaus in Paaren im Glien tells another part of the area’s history: it is the oldest house in the district, built after the great village fire of 1678. The building is a traditional Havelland central-passage house with timber framing and clay walls. You can also see the Havelland art of butter-making there; check whether visits are currently possible before you go.
In Perwenitz, the Kulturmühle showcases modern art and landscape painting. Check the current exhibition programme before your visit. History can also be found near the Ziegenkrug: it was a postal station on the road through the forest, known as the “Hamburg Post Road”. A sandstone post milestone was erected near the Ziegenkrug in 1803, following precise surveying. Together, these places offer insights into a range of subjects—from regional housebuilding and crafts to historic postal connections.
A technical perspective complements the cultural attractions: the Schönwalde lock connects the different water levels of the Upper and Lower Havel Waterways on the Havel Canal, bypassing Berlin’s urban area. The lock structure offers a different kind of discovery from an organ, a house or a work of art: here, the function of a waterway shapes how you see the area.
Further afield in the Havelland
If you look beyond Schönwalde-Glien to the wider Havelland travel destination, you’ll find a birdwatching nature trail about 1.5 kilometres long on the southern shore of Lake Gülpe. Illustrated information boards line the route. During spring and autumn migration, up to 100,000 geese and hundreds of cranes gather at Lake Gülpe, along with numerous waders, ducks and grey herons. This seasonal birdlife offers a different focus from the forest paths and cultural attractions in Schönwalde-Glien.
Discover more destinations
Rhinow, Nennhausen, Milower Land, Kotzen, Wustermark, Havelaue, Gollenberg, Friesack
Back to the main travel guide: Havelland.
