RBB Abendschau – Day Trip Tip – Potsdam Waterfront Trail

Between Glienicker Bridge and the “Bridge of Peace” in Potsdam, you can bike along Jungfernsee, go for a swim in the open water, have a picnic, or explore historical sites along the Mauerweg and at Cecilienhof Palace. We take a water taxi from the main train station and cycle along the route.

A report by Ulrike Nagel for RBB Abendschau.

Summary

This video is a travel tip from RBB reporter Ulrike Nagel and features an outing along Potsdam’s lakeside path on a sunny day.

Ulrike Nagel rbb-Reporterin
Ulrike Nagel, RBB reporter, outing tip

The reporter begins her outing by getting her Brompton folding bike ready to go. She rides to the first starting point, the raft dock on Schiffbauergasse, to rent a raft there. Thomas gives her a brief briefing, since she’ll have to steer the raft herself.

Ulrike Nagel - RBB Abendschau - Ausflugstipp - Potsdamer Uferweg - Fr 24072020, 1930
Ulrike Nagel – RBB Abendschau – Day Trip Tip – Potsdam Waterfront Trail – Fri, July 24, 2020, 1930

She enjoys the ride on the water, which takes her past Babelsberg Park and the Flato Tower. Rafting is described as being as relaxing as a vacation.

If rafting seems too much of a hassle, you can also take the Potsdam water taxi to the Glienecker Bridge. The reporter passes under the historic bridge.

Ulrike Nagel RBB Ausflugstipp
Ulrike Nagel, RBB Outing Tip

She then continues by bike along the shore of Jungfernsee to the Kongsnæs restaurant, where she takes a break. The restaurant was built in 1890 by Emperor Wilhelm II in the Norwegian dragon style at his sailors’ station.

The Swan Bridge to the peninsula on Heiligen See is currently closed, but a little further on there’s another bridge over the Hasengraben, where you can go swimming when the weather is nice.

Behind Cecilienhof Palace, she comes across an old border control tower. A local resident, Klaus Roggenbuck, explains to her that there used to be a chain and a lock gate in the water there to control the border. She reads on an information kiosk that at least two escapes were successful along this section. The many information kiosks along the path turn the area into an open-air museum dedicated to the history of the Berlin Wall.

The final stretch of the path takes her along the lake to the Bridge of Peace, which was built in 1950. That’s where the route ends. The reporter then heads to the nearest S-Bahn station in Potsdam.