Brandenburg Switzerland

(Local Name: Märkische Schweiz) Land: Brandenburg

Situation and topography

The Märkische Schweiz, the "Switzerland of Brandenburg" (the Mark or March of Brandenburg), is a wooded region of hills and valleys lying between the Barnim plateau in the west and the Lebus plateau in the east. The chief place in the area is the charming little town of Buckow, with a history going back more than 700 years.

Landscape

The charm of the area round Buckow lies in its hills and steep-sided valleys and in the deep basins created by the melting of the hard masses of ice after the last ice age.

This is a popular recreation area within easy reach of Berlin (by rail via Müncheberg or S-Bahn via Strausberg and then bus). There is plenty of good walking in the carefully tended parks and on the numerous waymarked footpaths. One of these leads to the Bollersdorfer Höhe (130 m/427ft), from which there is a fine view of the Schermützelsee. There are boat trips on the lake.