Exploring the Limestone Pits from Rüdersdorf bei Berlin

I must confess I do have a thing with industrial locations, factories and mines - a domain I know way too well as a consultant for various PR projects in the field of the mining industry. Looking at all those machines and industrial landscapes is nothing fancy about but the production system as such might tell an important story about the local civilization. As the ecological concerns are becoming an important part of the contemporary Western culture, many locations, some with a high pollution potential, where turned into natural parks, like in the case of this former rail yard in Schöneberg turned into a natural park.  

This time, I am out in a place near Berlin, to explore a limestone mine and processing complex, that provided the construction materials for famous locations such as the Brandenburg Gate, Sanssouci Palace or the Olympia Stadium: The Museumpark Rüdersdorf.

Arriving there is a little funny adventure in itself. From the S-Bahn Friedrichshagen in the Northern part of Berlin one takes a vintage tram for around 15 stops (aproximatively 23 minutes). Additional C area ticket is required. 

We randomly stop somewhere in the middle of the village, curious to see if there is anything else to see in this Rüdersdorf bei Berlin. For instance, the city hall, used as an administrative building since 1968, a former sanatorium and lazaret. 

Although there are some colourful views over water channels framed by autumn foliage, I couldn't find anything noticeable to keep me away from the Museumpark Rüdersdorf, the place where I will spend all my time in this little village.

If you are arriving by tram from Berlin, the station closest to the Museumpark is Heinizstraße, from where you just have to follow the directions until the entrance. The basic entrance costs 6 Euro, with the possibility of booking special historical or geological - searching for fossils is a recommended activity here - tours that high-up the price to an average of 15 euro. The program varies up to the seasons as follows: April to October, daily from 10.00 to 18.00, and November to March, from Tuesday to Sunday from 10.30 to 16.00.

First time first, we are hungry and we make a generous stop at the small restaurant strategically located near the entrance. We are announced that there is no fried oil involved in the preparation of meals - no French fries, for instance. The hot veggie soup is bringing back all the good travel energies, while the burger builds up the proteins - wish the bread is a bit fresh tough. The prices probably takes into account that it's probably the only place around where you can eat.

Time to stop complaining about the economic challenges of German restaurant and start exploring instead! At the first sight, the location looks like an abandoned complex of castles and fortifications. In fact, every part of this park is a witness of the advanced technologies applied for the extraction of the shell limestone (Muskelkalk). Usually, those materials are hidden a couple of hundreds meters below ground. In the case of Rüdersdorf bei Berlin, an unique case in the geological context of this part of Germanny, the limestone is very close to the surface. 

Tunnels and channels connected with the limestone quarry were created during the mandate of the Mining minister Anton von Heinitz (whose name is given to the street where the Museumpark is located), at the beginning of the 19th century.

Aqueducts like massive constructions are magnifying the architectural landscape, whose overwhelming impression is tempered only by the expansive nature. 

I've visited a couple of interesting mining locations in the last years, mostly in Europe, and there is always a feeling of desolation while facing the geological view left behind after years of intensive exploatation.

Inside the tunnels, we are having a glimpse on the various stages of the production system.

Here, at the very beginning of the 19th century, the first Rumfort kilns, a completely new type of pit furnaces were introduced. What is specific about those pits is that they have individual chambers for the limestone and the fuels, run permanently, a clear sign of the industrialization of lime processing, at a time when the demand for lime was extremely high in Berlin, given the constant expansion of the city.

There are a couple of panorama points that can offer an overview of the park area, but for me, Glochenturm Panorama is one of the best.

Situated on the top of a small hill, you can see the exploatation area from above. It still looks as desolate as it looks from the ground though. 

After being out of intensive use for decades, the natural balance was reestablished it seems, as the huge mushrooms - typical apparitions for the Brandenburg area - are taking over the tree base.

If you visit the Museumpark Rüdersdorf with children, there are a couple of entertainment activities for the little ones. There is a small petting zoo where you can feed the sturdy goats, two playgrounds and a lot of climbing opportunities. For those at the teen age, you can rent go-karts, e-bikes, bikes or canoes. 

And it is even more: there are event locations that can be rented. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the limestone quarries were a popular background for the German film industry. It continues to be so, as here were also filmed sceneries from the Inglorious Basterds or the local German productions Terra X and Wanderhure.

Remants of the former production system are left in the middle of the fields, like outdoor sculptures of modern art. Kids might be tempted to climb on while adults can be curious to touch various parts figuring out - when the detailed information files are not provided - what those machines were used for.

Even not necessarily interested about industry stories, a walk around is a pleasant way to spend a sunny day - we've been there for around four hours. If it's raining, you better don't visit as there are not too many places where you can hide, unless you go for a Land Rover tour. For those keen for walking - as I do - normalsport shoes will make the steps counting for the day pleasant.

Imagine you have no idea where you are, what those conycal structures are used for. How would you describe this view?

Temples of the industrial life, maybe, testimonies of a time when the industrial revolution gave so many hopes and offered so many chances for a better future of the humanity.

The abandonned concrete monsters are deserted now. Graffiti scribbling - nothing outstanding about the street art here - include them automatically in the category of 'quirky', without joining though many of those abandoned places that fascinated the visitors of Germany, especially of Berlin for such a long time, like Teufelsberg or Beelitz. 

And there is even more to nurture your reflections on modern art and its efforts to give a special symbolism to average human - including industrial - activities.

Personally, I wish there is there a small museum at least, where I can get more insights about the production experiences and eventually a movie or live presentation of the different stages of the limestone extraction. As for now, there are audio-guides available at entrance where one can get the right context of the locations visited. Maybe I'm too nerdy and curious.

17 hectares of park later, we are leaving Rüdersdorf bei Berlin energized by the nature walking but with also some new knowledge about industrial architecture - my favorite German architect Schinkel contributed to some of the constructions as well - but also about ways in which old industries can be kept into the public memory. 

This Museumpark was an interesting beginning to explore more similar locations in Germany and as I'm writing this, I am already doing a bit of research for my future industrially-themed travel plans.

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How to Spend a Full Day of Adventures at IRRLANDIA Park

Trips are (almost) perfect when all its participants, especially when children are involved, are happy. Happiness is subjective, I know, but when it comes to a group of small and big people, it's important that the highest coverage is offered. Like, for instance, giving some photographic corners for the adults and a lot of outdoors active fun for the rest.

It worked very well when we visited the Elstal Strawberry Village and also in the Jurassic Park of Germendorf. This time, we tried the IRRLANDIA Adventure park, just an adventure park one hour away from Berlin.

With this good will and armed camera on our shoulders, we stopped to Storkow, via Konigs Wusterhausen. It is a very simple train ride, and as it was weekend, we get ready for the low-age ambiance, while socializing with the many kids in the train with ages between 2 and 5. Good start, at least for some.

Stork means stork in German and I suppose the name Storkow means that we might expect many of such birds which we only encountered in the wooden format. Good news for the camera owners though.

With or without storks - we not even spotted any huge nests - Storkow looks like a lovely little village, with wild bushes of roses bordering the streets and 1-2 storey small houses silent under the summer heat. We carefully watched the directions to the adventures park, while trying to get the best of the urban landscape.

Surprisingly,  the doors are beautiful to look at, with various colourful painted motifs which bring a different mood to any house.

Where the colours are absent, there are small little iron wrought shop signs, or just reminder of businesses from the old times. 

Storkow seemed to be a middle-class hard working town, at least according to the signs on the facades.

The old city area, is even more full of life, with half-timbered houses hosting at the ground level small stores and café houses that we purposefully avoid because, you know, we are on a mission to make some wild children happy.

Years of training the attention taught to find the interesting details, regardless how high is our walking feet speed. Click on the camera to keep a memory of this massive wooden door!

The mobile wooden bridge which is still operational nowadays is an interesting technical achievement but also offers a good platform to catch some relaxing view just a couple of meters away.

After 30 minutes of walking we are about to reach the desired destination of the other half of the travelling team: the IRRLANDIA adventure park. First, as a lone view of a purple-reddish castle under a heavy curtain of maze.

Similarly with Babelsberg Film Studios in Potsdam, IRRLANDIA is open only for a limited amout of time: this year,  between 18.05 and 06.10, with a daily schedule between 10 and 6pm. By purchasing the ticket, the children are able to use it for a short tour in a carrousel.

Inside, there are so many attractions for all the possible tastes and age interests that you can easily spend a full day only testing various attractions, again and again. You need to be dressed casual and eventually take your swimming suit too, as you can play a lot with water. And which kid doesn't love to play with water? (Although maybe a more environmentally-oriented education would be necessary to avoid too much waste)

You can organise here birthday parties and any kind of parties, or to take part to regular events organised by the adventure park itself.

As an adult, you can take a seat on the chair and leave the small ones to use their energy. Refuel options are gallore, with a small fast-food outdoors area and a waffles corners too. Just be ready, especially during the weekend, for some extra waiting time. If you are more careful with your diet, you can bring your own food and have a picnic, either directly on the grass or on one of the big wooden tables.

With 12 different labyrinths and thematic areas, IRRLANDIA is a big source of entertainment. And everything looks so safe and done according to the highest German standards in terms of security that half of your worries are away. At least for now.

The biggest newest attraction in July was the maize maze. Not so spectacular like the ones in Cornish, rather at a very low level, but complex enough to get lost. Upon starting the journey you got a map with numbered places and you need to follow carefully the directions. When you are wild - like us - and go without a map, you risk to get claustrophobically lost. And no, what I've read long ago in J.L.Borges writings that in a labyrinth you should always keep left doesn't apply at all in this case. 

Time passed very fast in this adventure park, and we left only with the regrets that at least half of it was not accessible on age reasons. Which means that most probably will be keen to give it a try to another visit the next year too. And the year after. Maybe one day will spot those storks, who knows?

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A Musical Sunday Summer at Chorin Abbey

Less than one hour away from Berlin, there is a place that resonates a lot with classical music lovers in the capital city and Brandenburg: Chorin Abbey. This former Cistercian monastery that underwent secularisation in the 16th century is a noteworthy meeting point for all those in love with a good classical concert. 

Between 22nd of June and 25 of August, here are taking place every Sunday, in the afternoon, around 2 hours of quality music. Some are listening from a comfy place inside the monastery concert hall, some prefer it outdoors, on their blanket while having a family picnic. 

A tradition for over 50 years, I made it there only the last week. As usual, my one-day trip involved more than music, and only opened the eyes and the appetite for at least another adventure to come in the next weeks.

Reaching Chorin is relatively easy and all you need is a 13 Euro ticket, plus a short commuting from Bernau (b.Berlin). For the first time in a long time, I was welcomed by a train station which looked a bit different than the usual derelict buildings I've been used to in the last trips. Nearby, a bike parking place, as the area is a favorite destination for cyclists from around the area. 

Outdoor activities are encouraged by the pristine nature surrounding Chorin. I was relatively familiar with it when I went to visit the Schorfheide natural reserve a couple of years ago. The abundance of green adds on to the sense of calm that breathes the streets. Pretty houses hiding behind colourful flowers with hardly a car on the road, the perfect rural retreat not too far away from the urban life.

For the guests of the classical concerts, there are buses taking them for free from the train station, with return hour after the concerts are over. Otherwise, one can slowly walk the little bit over 2 km. walk to the Abbey. It is an easy ride, and all you need is comfy shoes and the moderate preparation.

We arrived at the abbey from the backyard, meandering mysterious doors and hiding places. As it is less than 30 minutes before the concert start, there are plenty of people taking the chance of some fresh breathes of air, but there are still enough remote areas where you can hardly meet anyone.

The ruins are taken over by the nature and the human intervention was only for allowing the visitors an easier ride, by setting up stone stairs and bridges.

Before of after the concert, a round walk around the Amtssee is a mind-soothing experience. It takes around 2 hours of slow walking and it is worth the experience of pure enjoyment of moderate wilderness.

The red-brick building, a trademark of the Cistercian Gothic architecture, the monastic order the abbey belonged to, are making an appearance behind the lush vegetation, and now I know that it is time to head back to the concert area.

There are so many temptations around, including a very old restaurant and some beer gardens, but I promise myself to be back in a couple of weeks for a full tasting of Chorin, plus an overview of the many art galleries open in the area.

But people are hurrying up for the music event and I am following the crowds. The tickets for the summer concerts can be purchased other online, or on the spot. The number of places indoors is limited, but for outdoors - our choice, which costed 8 euro - you can have it any time. 

The sound is as good as inside, and unless there is some threat of rain, you can fully enjoy the experience. At the entrance, there are many food stalls with various treats - a bit overpriced, but this is the price you pay for some good bio goodness, it seems - so even if you did not bring a heavy basket with you, you can have some small guilty pleasures during the concerts.

I often asked myself how in Germany it is possible that even though there is a massive amount of people everyone is so quiet. Like a mass of voiceless bodies are moving slowly in a perfect pace, but without the need to utter any sound.

Indoors, everyone took its place and are waiting for the performance. The guest orchestra this time is from the neighbouring Polish Szczecin, and it plays a classical mix which includes also Mozart. Since its creation, the abbey was an important player in the relationship with the neighbouring Slavic territories and nowadays, several German-Polish projects are developped in the area, many of them focused on cultural dialogue.

Although it was abandonned for centuries - following the conversion to Protestantism of the rulers of Brandenburg, in the first half of the 16th century - the massive Gothic architecture, one of the most important in Brandenburg, is still impressive visually and architecturally.

The efforts to save the old monastery, which among others, was used also as a livestock farm, were initiated by the famous architect Schinkel, in the 19th century, who convinced the Prussian kings that those ruins are worth the preservation not only for cultural, but also for nascent national reasons. 

The Cistercian order was created in 1088, originating from Cîteaux, near Dijon, preaches values such as austerity and self-sufficiency, elements that were at a large extent resonating with the nascent national identity the Prussians themselves were trying to build. Therefore, the appeal of Schinkel  for an investment in saving the ruins after a visit here, called home more than he probably imagined.

The first part of the concert is filling the air with an exquisite energy. The music takes over everything, and once listening, you hardly notice anything, but the united sound of the fast instruments. It is an exemple how music and culture in general, can embelish and enoble souls, wild nature and even weather. The rain forecast for the afternoon are apparently on hold for now.

During the short break, it is about time to visit the rest of the abbey and have a look at the various exhibitions tracing the long history of the building and the monastic order in general. The details of the architecture are fascinating though and are telling their own history with a loud voice which does not need too much cultural or historical background.

There is a certain ambiance that was probably part of a larger mentality continuum at the time, aimed at a specific representation and projection of the religious feeling. Indeed, the order was austere and less interested in an extrovert manifestation of the belief, but the small details of the construction and the permanent dialogue between light and darkness was there for more than an aesthetic reason. 

The small details are part of the history and I am enjoying to take picture of those little elements that beautify the place.

For the Romantic mindset of the 19th century, ruins were an important element of a way of being and seeing the world as a place of loss and permanent reminder of human fragility and short stay on this earth. Some places like castles were left as a ruin on purpose, as in the case of the Heidelberg castle. Surrounded by the untainted green grass, it looks for me as a huge cemetery, where history is burried.

Cistercian monks were hard workers and they had relevant contributions not only to the field of architecture, but also in diverse domains such as agriculture and metallurgy. In the Middle Ages everything was connected to religious activity, therefore, the monasteries were both centers of learning with access to knowledge which further allowed the development of technique and science that at least for a couple of centuries mored it remained wrapped in the covers of religion, until secularisation reclaimed its own mental space.

Once the concert is over, I take over the hiking path for bringing the cultural insights into the nature. What can be better than a wondering through the nature with a mind full of intellectual ideas and cultural concepts? It's the perfect environment for a discussion in two or just for solitary random thoughts. The surroundings are not disappointing.

Like in life, the path takes to ups and downs, easier and less easier turns, where you need more focus and self-restrain.

The houses are looking are hiding in a very discrete way, with their presence noticed only if you want to direct your eyes at an upper level.

Everything looks remote and I am enjoying the post-concert hike more than I thought. I was expecting just a relaxing walk through the forest without too many intellectual challenges. It seems that the historical overview of the place plus the architectural impressions and the classical concert brought enough food for thought that will stay with me for more than a couple of hours. Maybe for days. Maybe for weeks.

The only question is now: when I will return to Chorin to reveal even more interesting corners both for the curious mind and the nature lover soul?

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