The best family-friendly hikes and walks around Sacrow-Paretzer Kanal

The former royal forge was built around 1800 in the Neo-Gothic style and served as a picturesque architectural feature with a visual connection through the church garden to the castle. Since 1911, the Gothic House with its adjoining hall has been used as an inn. The old inn - Queen Luise bowled here and Fontane stayed overnight.

As part of the village's redesign, the master builder David Gilly (1748-1808) constructed the Flour Scales and Fire Station complex between 1798 and 1805. The connection between the two buildings was created by a covered ladder barn, which served as a storage area for fire hoses and ladders. The fire engine was kept in the fire station itself and was occasionally used as a detention cell. The ladder barn was demolished around 1900, and the Flour Scales and Fire Station fell into disrepair. After reunification, at the initiative of the Paretz Historical Society, both buildings were completely renovated in accordance with historical preservation regulations, and the ladder barn was faithfully reconstructed. Source: https://www.paretz-verein.de/seite/131481/mehlwaage-und-spritzenhaus.html

Ice cellars for storing natural ice were, before the invention of refrigeration, the privilege of kings and wealthy landowners. Later, ice cellars were also built for communal use. This is likely the case with the ice cellar located behind the Paretz barn in the Rohrhaus garden. It is one of three ice cellars that once existed in Paretz. While the two located in the royal gardens no longer exist, the ice cellar built around 1850 was restored by the Historical Paretz Association in 2007 and opened as a small museum in 2010. Further information can be found at: https://www.paretz-verein.de/seite/131483/historischer-eiskeller.html

The so-called "Gothic House" was built in 1803 based on the model of English period buildings. The building is a stuccoed structure with a rectangular floor plan and a half-hipped roof. The hall extension dates from 1910. It was originally the royal blacksmith's shop, and around 1910 it became part village blacksmith's shop and part inn. After 1918, it was simply an inn, and since 1938, it has been a family-owned restaurant and beer garden. The building is a listed building.

Shortly after his accession to the throne, Frederick William III commissioned the architect David Gilly to rebuild Paretz as a model Prussian village. The new village consisted of approximately ten farms, each largely of a uniform design. In addition to a number of buildings with specific functions, he also had two small gatehouses built to the right and left of the access road, marking the eastern entrance to the village. One primarily contained a sheepfold, the other the shepherd's dwelling. Source: https://www.paretz-verein.de/seite/346848/dorf.html

The complex, constructed by French prisoners of war and consisting of the Paretz Lock, the pump house, and the transformer station tower, was completed in 1916. It is now a listed monument due to its harmonious aesthetics and the technically sophisticated design of the pumping system. The system on the Paretz-Nauen Canal served to improve the Havelland Luch, a project initiated by King Frederick William I of Prussia in 1718. Controlled drainage and irrigation via ditches and drains was intended to enable continuous agricultural use of the temporarily flooded fields. The improvement resulted in the reclaiming of 500 km² of arable land in the Havelland Luch alone. The water generated during drainage collected at the lowest point of the terrain and had to be pumped from there into a higher drain or canal. This was done using powerful electric pumps capable of moving up to 22,000 m³/h of water. In the 1970s, they were replaced by two modern underwater pumps. The lock lost its importance with the construction of the Havel Canal in 1951-1952 and was opened permanently. Source: https://www.paretz-verein.de/seite/131480/schleuse-und-sch%C3%B6pfwerk.html

At this point, it appears as if the Nauen-Paretz Canal joins the Havel Canal. However, this would be incorrect. The Nauen-Paretz Canal was constructed between 1913 and 1921. With the construction of the Havel Canal in 1951-1952, the southern section was incorporated into it and enlarged and straightened. Today, this section of the canal, as well as the lock a little further north, is no longer relevant for shipping. It drains the Paretz burrows, and the WWR Havel Canal (a recreational area for water sports) is located at the pumping station.

There are also a few benches here, some of which are covered.