Kleinmachnow between Machnower See, forest and history
Accommodation in Kleinmachnow
Machnower Lock is the only lock on the Teltow Canal. It served as a model for the Panama Canal’s lock system (1909–1914), making it a notable technical landmark in Kleinmachnow. Right next to the lock is Schleusnerbude, an information centre about the Teltow Canal, the lock’s distinctive features and the area’s cultural history. Anyone interested in water engineering and local history will find several aspects of the area brought together in one specific place.
File:Kleinmachnow Erlenweg 29 Strassenseite und Grundriss.jpg
Photo: Bruno Paul via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Along the lake and through the historic village centre
A circular hiking trail runs around Machnower See. Its route passes the foot of the old Neue Hakeburg, goes through the historic village centre with its Old Village Church and Medusa Gate, crosses the Bäketal Landscape Conservation Area and reaches Machnower Lock. The lake, local history, protected area and water engineering are all part of the same circular trail. You can use these stops to plan an outing without limiting the route to a single theme.
The historic village centre, known as the Old Village, includes the church, Medusa Gate and the ruins of the Old Hakeburg. The village church was consecrated in 1597 under the patronage of the Hake family. All that remains of the Old Hakeburg is its cellar vault, uncovered in 2003. Medusa Gate is named after the Medusa head on its crown and can still be seen in the historic village centre today. These three places offer different perspectives on the village’s history: a church with a recorded consecration date, the surviving architectural traces of the Hakeburg, and a gate with a distinctive name.
Maps showing the signposted hiking routes are available at the lock, Friedensbrücke and the entrance to town on Karl-Marx-Straße. This offers practical guidance for guests who would like to include hiking routes in their plans for their stay.
Forest and protected areas
The municipal forest also offers other ways to get active: people use it for walking, jogging and cycling. Most of Kleinmachnow’s forest areas can be reached via natural trails and border directly on residential areas. Unlike the circular route around Machnower See, the focus here is not on one specific route, but on a forest area used for different kinds of activity.
The Parforceheide Landscape Conservation Area runs along the Teltow Canal within Kleinmachnow’s municipal boundaries. Since 2018, a 12.88-hectare Special Area of Conservation with EU number DE 3645_301 has also been located south of the Stolper Weg residential area. Together with the Bäketal Landscape Conservation Area, crossed by the circular lake trail, these are several protected landscapes associated with Kleinmachnow.
Local history and culture
Another historical landmark is the surviving command tower of the former Drewitz GDR border crossing. Today, it serves as an exhibition and event venue for the Checkpoint Bravo association. The Kammerspiele was originally built between 1936 and 1938 as a cinema dedicated exclusively to showing films. The history of the border crossing and the building history of a cinema are therefore among the different topics Kleinmachnow offers guests interested in cultural history.
The Neue Kammerspiele screens films. Its cultural programme includes readings, music and theatre events, as well as a varied programme for children. Families travelling with children can consider this as a cultural outing in its own right, alongside the historic sites and nature experiences; its range of events spans everything from readings to music and theatre.
When looking for a holiday apartment in Kleinmachnow, you can use your preferred focus for the trip as a guide: are you mainly looking for walks and activities in the forest, a circular route by the lake, or perhaps village history and culture? The experiences described offer different starting points, without requiring you to limit your stay to a single theme.
If you’d like to compare other destinations for your trip: Klein Briesen, Teltow, Glindow, Päwesin, Potsdam, Gräben, Wusterwitz and Beetzsee.
For the broader travel overview: Potsdam-Mittelmark.
