Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [128]
Stadtbrauerei Babben ( 2126; Brauhausgasse 2; from 5pm mid-Mar–Oct) Brandenburg’s smallest brewery makes a mean pilsner and seasonal beers, all of them unfiltered, unpasteurised and therefore always fresh. The menu features casual pub eats; upstairs are four cosy rooms for spending the night (singles/doubles €36/56).
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COTTBUS
0355 / pop 99,800
The southern gateway to the Spreewald, Cottbus has a pretty historic centre anchored by the Altmarkt, a handsomely restored square hemmed in by baroque and neoclassical town houses. East of here is the late-Gothic Oberkirche ( 247 14; Gertraudtenstrasse 1; 10am-5pm) with its climbable tower (€1). The tourist office ( 754 20; www.cottbus.de; Berliner Platz 6; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, to 1pm Sat) is a short walk west of the Altmarkt, behind the Spree-Galerie shopping centre.
Cottbus (aka Chosébuz) is also the unofficial capital of the Sorbian Blota region. To learn about this Slavic group’s history, language and culture, visit the Wendisches Museum ( 794 930; Mühlenstrasse 12; adult/concession/family €2.50/1.50/6; 8.30am-6pm Tue-Fri, 2-6pm Sat & Sun) or the cultural centre called Lodka ( 4857 6468; August-Bebel-Strasse 82; 10am-4.30pm Mon-Fri). Lodka is near the Staatstheater Cottbus ( 01803-440 344; Schillerplatz 1), an art-nouveau marvel of a theatre. Southeast of the centre, Branitzer Park contains a lovely 18th-century baroque Schloss, the Fürst-Pückler-Museum and the Wasserpyramide, a curious grass-covered pyramid ‘floating’ in a little lake.
Frequent regional trains link central Berlin stations with Cottbus (€13, 1¾ hours), also stopping in Lübben and Lübbenau.
Trams 1 and 3 run to the centre from the train station.
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AROUND COTTBUS
South of Cottbus, in an area called Fürst Pückler Land, a vast opencast lignite mining area is being turned into Germany’s largest artificial-lake district. Called the Lausitzer Seenland, it will become a recreational haven with boating, swimming, golfing and other outdoor activities. You can observe and learn more about this fascinating project at the visitors centre ( 035753-2610; www.iba-see.de; Seestrasse 100; 10am-6pm Mar-Oct, 10am-4pm Nov-Feb), then follow up with a guided walking tour (adult/concession €7/5; 10.15am-4pm Sat & Sun) around what still resembles a lunar landscape. The visitors centre is in the hamlet of Grossräschen, about 30km south of Cottbus, on the B96 just east off the A13. There’s also a regional train service, including from Cottbus (€5.10, one hour) and Berlin (€14.20, two hours); it’s a 25-minute signposted walk from the station to the visitor centre.
For another perspective on this ambitious project, head 20km west on the B96 to Lichterfeld, where you’ll spot a huge steel contraption looking a bit like a toppled Eiffel Tower. This is the F60 ( 03531-608 00; www.f60.de/index_e.htm; Bergheider Strasse 4; guided tours adult/concession/child €8/7/3; 10am-9pm Mar, Apr, Sep & Oct, to 10pm May-Aug, 11am-7pm Tue, Wed, Fri-Sun Nov-Feb), a 500m-long conveyor bridge used in lignite mining (incidentally, the Eiffel Tower is ‘only’ 320m high). You can take a tour (in German) of the behemoth and peruse the exhibits in the visitors centre (admission €1.50) open the same hours.
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EASTERN BRANDENBURG
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BUCKOW
033433 / pop 1650
Tiny Buckow is the hub of the Naturpark Märkische Schweiz, a rural expanse of clear streams, romantic lakes and gently undulating hills. Its bucolic charms have provided creative fodder for numerous artists, most prominently the poet Theodor Fontane, who praised its ‘friendly landscape’ in Das Oderland (1863). In the 1950s Bertolt Brecht and Helene Weigel spent their summers here, away from Berlin’s stifling heat. Buckow has long been famous for its clean and fresh air; in fact, in 1854 Friedrich Wilhelm IV’s physician advised the