Zernikow Of knights, silk and mulberry trees
Zernikow is characterised by the estate of the same name. Once founded as a knight's seat, the estate and village experienced their heyday in the mid-18th century under Michael Gabriel Fredersdorff - Frederick the Great's secret chamberlain - with silk production. He had a mulberry plantation planted with more than 8,000 trees, an avenue of which still exists today between the village and the water mill. The manor house and the former silk house have also been preserved and are listed buildings. The charm of the grounds inspired Achim von Arnim, a grandson of Fredersdorff's wife Caroline, to write his first novel over 200 years ago. Today, various exhibitions, the Mulberry Festival and the Knights' Festival as well as a crêperie in the former sheepfold invite visitors to linger. Traces of the Fredersdorff family can also be found in the village centre: There, with the hereditary burial ground, stands their last resting place. The surrounding Stechlin-Ruppiner Land Nature Park can also be easily explored from Zernikow.
