Have you ever been to the “German Venice”, just an hour from Berlin? Or do you know Berlin’s “Zombie Hospital”? There are so many mystical places and lost places around Berlin that will give you goosebumps and spooky moments! In keeping with Halloween time in the city, we present another excursion destination that is full of history. We’re talking about Dammsmühle Castle.
A story through the middle of German history
The castle is located near Schönwalde close to Lake Mühlenbeck in the Barnim Nature Park. It is surrounded by a 28-hectare area that includes parks, lakes and forests. Where the large palace stands today, there was already a watermill in the 16th century. In 1768, it became the property of Berlin leather manufacturer Peter Friedrich Damm – hence the name “Dammsmühle”. The owner supplied the Prussian army with uniforms.
Around 1894, Lieutenant Adolph Wollank bought the estate and converted it into the neo-baroque palace we know today. It was not only in its early days that Schloss Dammsmühle was home to historical characters. During the Nazi era, it was even owned by SS Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler, who had it repaired by prisoners from Sachsenhausen. And that’s not all, figures from the darker side of history also stayed here in the GDR. Stasi chief Erich Mielke lived in Dammsmühle Castle from 1959 to 1989. It served him as a hunting estate and exclusive guest house. It had its own bowling alley, sauna, communications network, bunker and farmyard.
After reunification, the castle fell into disrepair. Nobody took care of it anymore. At the same time, this special property made quite an impression as a film set. Occasionally, film crews set out and used Dammsmühle Castle as a filming location for “Babylon Berlin” or “Polizeiruf”. All twelve episodes of the ARD series “Haus am See” were also filmed here.
Once full of great celebrations, now a lost place
Unfortunately, you can’t visit Dammsmühle Castle today. The castle is currently locked and surrounded by construction fences and is undergoing a lengthy restoration phase. It’s worth keeping up to date with the latest information on access and the status of the restoration, as this may change – but it doesn’t look like it will at the moment.
The ruins are also impressive from the outside: you can admire the neo-baroque façade with balconies, tower, old decorations and the archway with columns. And right next to it is the romantic mill pond and other ruins. These include the foundations of a former “mosque” with old mosaic stones, which was located on an artificial island in the pond. A number of festivals were held here at the time. You can go for a walk in the romantic castle park,organize a picnic with your date and take photos of the mystical ruins in front of the pond.
If you want something a little more sporty, you have every opportunity to do so. Not only does the circular walk around the pond (approx. 45 minutes) provide plenty of exercise, the entire area has great hiking trails on offer, for example to Summter See or Mühlenbecker See. Many wild animals live in the area – in spring you can spot owls and other rare birds. And why not get there on foot? From Schönwalde train station, a footpath leads about 2.5 kilometers directly to Dammsmühle Castle.