Magnetic Brandenburg

“It seems to me that we should go out and greet the whole world together.“ (Bettina v. Arnim)

For the famous romantic author Bettina v. Arnim, life on her husband’s estate in Wiepersdorf held too little excitement. Had she been born today, she might see things a little differently. Because modern Brandenburg acts as a powerhouse, attracting people from far and wide.

Numerous celebrities too have found the charms of life in Brandenburg to be irresistible. So irresistible that they have set up home here. International designer Wolfgang Joop, super model Nadja Auermann or TV icon Günther Jauch all appreciate the high quality of life in Brandenburg. Because Brandenburg has everything that makes life worth living.

Take education for instance, a key factor in shaping the future. Since 1990 Brandenburg boasts a modern education system with the full range of educational establishments. Nearly 400.000 school students attend over 1.000 public and private schools. Higher education and research at universities, technical colleges and scientific institutes is second to none. Nearly 10% of the workforce have a university degree or technical college diploma, putting Brandenburg in the forefront of all 16 federal states.

Brandenburg also hosts a number of institutes of world renown such as the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and the German Institute for Nutritional Research Potsdam-Rehbrücke (DIfE), with its pioneering research into the correlation between nutrition and health. The newly founded Hasso Plattner Institute for Software Systems Engineering at the University of Potsdam is jointly financed by the foundation of the SAP boss and founder Hasso Plattner together with the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Or take healthcare and medical services which are now fully assured in each and every area. The past ten years have witnessed an extensive modernisation programme for hospitals between the rivers Elbe and Oder.

The result is that today Brandenburg enjoys a close-knit network of health care and medical establishments, including no less than 53 hospitals providing high quality medical services for all parts of the state.

The combination of historical architecture and enchanting countryside also offers a perfect setting for unique cultural events. The Potsdamer Schlössernacht regularly attracts tens of thousands of visitors from the length and breadth of Germany. Each year around half a million visitors flood in to the little town of Werder to take part in the traditional ‘Baumblütenfest’ or Blossom Time Festival. And the annual ‘Chorin Music Summer’ festival in the 13th century Chorin monastery, one of the most famous examples of North German Gothic brick architecture, has been bringing in visitors ever since it was founded in 1960.

Brandenburg can justifiably lay claim to being one of the greenest regions around any European capital. But such a claim doesn’t do justice to the wealth or recreational possibilities it affords.

Horse enthusiasts, for instance, have found that Brandenburg offers ideal conditions for raising and training horses and, what is more, has a very special gem in its equestrian crown in the shape of the prestigious State Stud Farm at Neustadt an der Dosse, built in 1788 by the King of Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm II. The annual stallion parade held in September is a Mecca for thousands of horse enthusiasts and a showcase for horse breeders and owners from all over Brandenburg. A few years ago nobody would have dreamed of Brandenburg becoming a centre for golf lovers. Yet nowadays, with 16 private and public golf courses, golf lovers from all over the world are simply spoilt for choice.

Cyclists too are increasingly discovering the attractions of the unspoilt Brandenburg countryside with its medieval towns, palaces, castles and monasteries and their museums, special exhibitions and cultural events. The large number of historic sites and cultural offerings in concert with the mainly flat expanses of the countryside, with its bed of ground moraine left by the melting of ice age glaciers, is a perfect recreational and vacation spot for cyclists and rollerbladers alike. Rollerbladers find a true paradise for their sport in the near to 100 kilometre long Fläming-Skate track near Luckenwalde.

With no less than 3.000 lakes and 33.000 kilometres of rivers, streams and canals, Brandenburg is a veritable Eldorado for water sports enthusiasts of all kinds who can sail, windsurf, row, paddle, dive or water-ski on Brandenburg waters to their heart’s content. Those of a more contemplative nature can bask in the view from the deck of one of the “White Fleet” excursion boats as it meanders through the highways and byways of the Brandenburg water system.

Another attraction that speaks of the high quality of life in Brandenburg is the thermal spa baths at Bad Saarow on Lake Scharmützelsee. Bad Saarow has a long and proud tradition of being a favourite spot for the great and good in politics and business. Winston Churchill played golf here while German movie stars like Viktor de Kowa, Anny Ondra or the director Ernst Lubitsch, and famous writers such as Maxim Gorki and Kurt Tucholsky were regular summer guests on Lake Scharmützelsee. Bad Saarow was also home to the boxing legend Max Schmeling from 1930 to1938. Today sporting greats like the swimmer Franziska van Almsick still choose Bad Saarow as an ideal place to unwind and the town plays host to golfing enthusiasts from government and the diplomatic service.

And by the way, the whole world is now a guest at the von Armin’s once secluded estate at Wiepersdorf. Scholarship holders from all five continents come here to work on their books, pictures and music. And if they feel the lure of the big city, they haven’t far to go! In Bettina von Arnim’s time the capital was a laborious day’s journey away. Nowadays with the new road and rail connections, Berlin is practically on the doorstep!