Wannsee
Famous and infamous
“Pack up the swimwear, grab your little sister and get the heck out to the Wannsee. Yes, we’re cycling like the wind, through the Grunewald swiftly and then soon we’ll be a the Wannsee”—this “Schlager” sang the at that time seven year old Cornelia Froboess in a 1951 television programme, which made the Wannsee known to Germany.
Justifiably, since located there is not only the famous lido, which is one of Europe’s largest outdoor swimming areas on inland waters. There are still numerous other points of interest and opportunities for rejuvenation at the Wannsee, for instance the Pfaueninsel, which is only reachable with a ferry, and since 1924 stands under nature conservation. On it, strollers can enjoy nature, observe peacocks and take a tour of the afar seeable white castle, which Friedrich Wilhelm II had let build in the end of the 18th century. Also worth a visit, at the west bank of the Wannsee, is the villa and garden of the painter Max Liebermann. As well as the Haus der Wannseekonferenz, in which, in 1942, the National Socialists decided the organization of the deportation and killing of the European Jews. Today, the house is a memorial and place of education.
