Havel Cycle Path at Grunewald Tower

The Havel cycle path at Grunewaldturm leads via Havelchaussee to Berlin's most famous observation tower: 55 meters of brick Gothic from 1899 on the 79-meter-high Karlsberg, about 200 steps to the platform. Along the way are the Schildhorn peninsula with its sandy beach and the island of Lindwerder, to which a bell calls the ferry.

Havel Cycle Path Grunewaldturm: 55 Meters of Brick above the Havel

The Grunewaldturm stands on Havelchaussee on the 79-meter-high Karlsberg and is the destination of this tour on the Havel cycle path. It was built from 1897 to 1899 according to plans by Franz Heinrich Schwechten, who also designed the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, in Märkisch brick Gothic style. It was commissioned by the Teltow district for the hundredth birthday of Wilhelm I, and the tower was opened on June 9, 1899. It measures 55 meters, the observation platform is at 36 meters, and about 200 steps lead up to it. Until 1948, it was called Kaiser-Wilhelm-Turm.

In the memorial hall under the dome stands a marble statue of Wilhelm I by Ludwig Manzel, along with four iron reliefs. In October 2007, the tower had to close due to damage to the staircase. After a renovation costing 1.5 million Euros, it reopened on April 22, 2011. Admission costs 5 Euros, children aged six to twelve pay 3 Euros. From the platform, the view extends over water and forest all the way to Potsdam.

Havelchaussee, Schildhorn and Lindwerder Island

The approach is via Havelchaussee, which measures a little over ten kilometers. The section between Postfenn and Kronprinzessinnenweg is almost eight kilometers long. Plans to turn it into a cycle street have been in place for years, but they have not been implemented: the road remains open to cars, and a speed limit of 30 km/h applies. In some places there is cobblestone paving, where narrow tires have a hard time. Those who prefer to ride off-road can take the Havelhöhenweg, about ten kilometers along the bank, partly on gravel.

North of the tower, the Schildhorn peninsula juts approximately 500 meters into the Havel. The Jaczo Monument from 1844 was designed by Friedrich August Stüler and executed by Christian Gottlieb Cantian in sandstone. At the tip lies a fine sandy beach with a sunbathing lawn, a circular riverside path, and a forest playground. The name Schildhorn has been documented since the 16th century. Off the shore lies the approximately two-hectare island of Lindwerder, named after the more than fifty lime trees that grow there. If you want to cross, stand on the pier and ring a bell, then the passenger ferry will arrive.