The wide spectrum on offer includes historic excursions around the palace or to the Sachsenhausen Museum and Memorial Site (www.gedenkstaette-sachsenhausen.de), a chance to enjoy nature and water on the city's lakes and in its woods and the opportunity to experience a number of places of entertainment and interest, such as the TURM ErlebnisCity theme park (www.erlebniscity.de), Oberhavel Farmers' Market (www.oberhavel-bauernmarkt.de) and Germendorf Wildlife, Adventure and Dinosaur Park (www.freizeitpark-germendorf.de).

The centrepiece of this almost 800 year-old city is the Mark of Brandenburg’s oldest Baroque palace (see above), situated right next to the Havel in the historic heart of the city. In 1652, Louise Henriette, born Princess of Orange-Nassau, (1627-1667), wife of the Great Elector and the founder of the city, had the palace built in the Dutch style. Starting in 1689, her son, later King Friedrich I, had it extended and ornately decorated, making it then the most beautiful palace in Brandenburg-Prussia. From 1997 to 1999 it was comprehensively renovated and was reopened with a House of Orange exhibition, ‘Onder den Oranje Boom’, in August 1999.

Palace museum

Today there are not one but two museums to visit in the palace, which is around 350 years old. The Prussian Palaces and Berlin-Brandenburg Gardens Foundation exhibits unique works of art in the museum from the 17th and 18th centuries. Especially worth seeing are the porcelain room and the silver vault with gems produced by Prussian silversmiths and glassblowers. They are something you should not miss!

Information about all Prussian palaces can be found in a brochure of the "Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation".

Oberhavel District Museum

The ‘Kreismuseum Oberhavel’ has permanent exhibitions on the region’s primeval and early history, manual crafts and farming, the story of the city and palace and on art and culture from six centuries. There are also lots of interesting exhibits to see on the history of the use of inland waterways in Brandenburg.

Palace, Palace Square, Palace Park and Havel landscape

Based on the structure of the former Baroque old town, lowering and remodelling the Schlossplatz (Palace Square) and relocating the Schlossbrücke (Palace Bridge) has recreated an ensemble of palace, square and park. From the palace bridge the visitor gets a wonderful view of the landscape around the Havel, underlining the close relationship between city and river. The integration of the historic with the modern has made Oranienburg more picturesque, more attractive and above all more vibrant.

Set against a unique backdrop, Schlossplatz becomes the centre point of the city for events and festivities several times a year.

Palace gardens

Princess Louise Henriette had the palace park created as a pleasure garden in the Dutch style. Later it was remodelled into a landscape garden and subsequently modified many times. It was given its current ornate look for the Brandenburg Garden Show in 2009. Around 75 acres of palace gardens make it an inviting place for an enjoyable stroll. Numerous colourful flowerbeds and a network of ditches cross the garden landscape, surrounded by delightful garden rooms and labyrinthine paths. The magnificent entrance portal was built around 1690 to designs by master builder J. A. Nehring and was adorned with the monogram of Friedrich III. Resting on the portal columns are two sandstone figures, acting as an allegory for summer and autumn.

We wish you an unforgettably lovely stay!