The landscape conservation area between Lake Baalensee, Lake Schwedtsee and the River Havel is an insider tip for active people. On a round course, you can hike curved paths and small inclines and try out sports and fitness equipment along the way too. There is a bathing area at Lake Baalensee. The park was originally created by the sawmill owner Joachim Zimmermann in 1900. He is said to have brought exotic plants back from his travels. Over 30 varieties of deciduous and coniferous trees can be discovered here. Half way along the round course, a detour leads to the technical monument that is the railway ferry.
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The ferry built in 1934 is on dry ground today, however. Back then, the 34 metre long and five metre wide steel construction mainly transported railway cars containing cargo. Because the River Havel ran between the rails of the former pulp mill near Havelpark and the railway line. The shipping authority would not have approved a fixed bridge over the river back then. So the railway ferry transported cargo weighing up to 170 tonnes to the opposite bank in five minutes. Wood for the pulp mill, materials for armaments production, fuel for the Soviet troops, logs for the sawmill. Prisoners from the Ravensbrück concentration camp were also transported to the surrounding factories to provide forced labour. The boat was finally decommissioned and sunk in 1993. In 2013, it was salvaged and refurbished as part of a school project.
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