600 years in one jump

The formerly grey dreariness of the plate in Marzahn has now given way to a colourful variety in many places. And there is room for surprising discoveries: Surrounded by the blocks of high-rise buildings, a small village, whose roots reach back to the Middle Ages, the village of Anger, Alt-Marzahn, asserts itself unflinchingly. With village church, windmill, animal farm, cobblestone pavement and in the middle a grass-green meadow under high old trees!

Although there is no shortage of other small villages in the district of Marzahn-Hellersdorf, such as Biesdorf with its castle, Mahlsdorf with its Bruno-Taut settlement or Kaulsdorf with its ancient church, the small Brandenburg village of Alt-Marzahn is a special feature. Romantic and sleepy, it lies in the middle of high GDR panel buildings. This has not always been the case. First mentioned in 1300 and almost completely devastated during the Thirty Years' War, the village was given its present form twice. First when in 1764 it was divided among 19 settler families from the Palatinate and then again within the framework of the complexes of urban renewal 1984 - 1988 The present village is basically a GDR Disney country, a replica. For this purpose, several historicizing rural building structures were newly erected and used by the public and the large Landsberger Allee around the village, which splits up the village, was led around the village.

Take a look at KulturGut Marzahn. Take a look into the magnificent flowering farm garden: during a guided tour you will learn a lot about fruit, vegetables and herbs. In the ceramic workshop "Schamottchen" you can browse to your heart's content between hand-painted tiles, bowls, pots and fine garden decoration. Here, Marzahner ceramic artists design and present their works for sale.

Walk on to the former village school in the middle of the picturesque meadow, which today houses a modern, small district museum. With interesting temporary exhibitions, it sheds light on the history and culture of Berlin's most northeastern district. Crossed diagonally in a replica of a barn from GDR times, you will see the permanent exhibition on the more than 10,000-year history of the region. Right behind it rises the old village church designed by Schinkel pupil Friedrich August Stüler with a baptismal font from the late Renaissance and such an impressive acoustics. Concerts therefore take place here on a regular basis.

When you hear the rooster crowing and pass goats, geese and sheep, which come curiously to the pasture fence, then you have reached the animal farm Alt-Marzahn, where farm animals from the Mark Brandenburg but also rare domestic animal breeds are kept.

Now climb up the grass hill behind the Tierhof and you stand in front of the village's large windmill, the Bockwindmühle.