Neuzelle

Located at the easternmost tip of Brandenburg, near the Oder River, Neuzelle boasts its Cistercian monastery, the largest Baroque monument in Northern and Eastern Germany. A magnificent collegiate church, a restored Baroque garden, and a centuries-old monastery brewery make this gem in the Oder-Spree Lake District the most worthwhile weekend trip from Berlin.

Brandenburg’s Baroque Wonder

Neuzelle Monastery is considered the northernmost testament to Southern German and Bohemian Baroque and is one of the few completely preserved monastery complexes in Europe. So, if you board the RE 1 from Berlin on a Saturday morning and alight in Neuzelle about 90 minutes later, you enter another world. Founded in 1268 by Margrave Heinrich the Illustrious, the entire complex was baroque-styled after the Thirty Years’ War. The result is impressive. The Collegiate Church of St. Mary captivates with its magnificent Baroque furnishings, which are completely preserved. If you then visit the museum, you’ll experience another highlight: the “Himmlisches Theater” (Heavenly Theatre) Museum displays the most valuable monastery treasure, the Passion depictions of the Holy Sepulchre, which are unique in Europe. In addition, Neuzelle also functions as lived ecumenism: both communities, a Catholic and a Protestant one, exist in immediate proximity on the monastery grounds.

Garden, Brewery, and Nature around Neuzelle

After the church tour, the monastery garden beckons outdoors. The Neuzelle Monastery Garden is considered the only Baroque garden in Brandenburg and has been included in the list of Germany’s 53 most significant garden complexes. Equipped with an orangery, pond, green pergola, and symmetrical fountains, the garden transports visitors four hundred years back in time. If you then have a craving for regional specialties, the monastery brewery is the right place. Brewing has been practiced here almost continuously for more than 600 years, passed down first by the monks, then by experienced brewmasters from Bohemia and Saxony. The Neuzelle Monastery Brewery specializes in dark and flavored beers, topped by the famous „Schwarzer Abt Bier”. If you still have energy afterward: the town is located directly on the Oder-Neisse Cycle Path and is surrounded by the diverse landscape of the Oder riverine landscape. Nature lovers and active holidaymakers will get their money’s worth cycling, hiking, or paddling. In short: Neuzelle is a destination that speaks for itself.