The best running trails around Großwoltersdorf

Despite the ever-increasing distance in time from the two terrible world wars that brought hardship and misery to many countries in the first half of the 20th century, such a memorial (war memorial) is by no means a relic of bygone times that has lost its significance for us today. In his speech on May 8, 2025 – exactly 80 years after the capitulation and thus the liberation of Germany from Nazi tyranny – Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said, among other things: “And if new wars worry us today, then we – especially we! – will not lose sight of peace. We know where war leads. We fear it rightly. THEREFORE, OUR PERSPECTIVE REMAINS PEACE. But peace does not prevail simply because we hold back, because we forgo strengthening our own defenses. For we are confronted with a harsh reality: We must do everything, together with our European partners… We must show: Democracies are not defenseless victims.”

The memorial consists of a stone base with a cast-iron sarcophagus, surmounted by a delicate, column-supported cast-iron canopy. Reminiscent of medieval reliquaries, this symbolizes both the queen's strength and delicacy. Lotus flowers are placed at the corners of the sarcophagus, and a gilded crown sits at the top. The inscriptions on the memorial honor her life and capture the emotional response of the people.

Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz died on July 19, 1810, at Hohenzieritz Palace at the age of 34. Her final burial was to take place in Charlottenburg. The transfer of the beloved Queen Louise was accompanied by popular expressions of sympathy. On the night of July 25-26, 1810, Louise's coffin was laid out on what was then the market square, today's Schinkelplatz, in the town of Gransee, with great public sympathy. Soon after, the citizens of Gransee applied to King Frederick William III for permission to erect a memorial to commemorate this memorable event. The king agreed, but public funds were not approved. Under the leadership of the district administrator of the Ruppin District, Friedrich Christian Ludwig Emil von Zieten, a successful fundraising campaign began, raising 2,000 thalers. Ziethen had contacts with the Royal Prussian Iron Foundry in Berlin, which presumably introduced him to Schinkel. Schinkel's submitted design for a cast-iron monument was approved by the king and inaugurated on October 19, 1811. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luisendenkmal_(Gransee)

Nice place to take a break in the adjacent bakery/café

Very nice lawn, but not suitable for swimming (swampy).

The Stechlin-Ruppiner Land Nature Park is dominated by Lake Stechlin, a 425-hectare, clearwater lake with a depth of up to 69 meters, home to the unique Fontane whitefish, a special species of fish. Here you'll find over 160 lakes, moors, and ancient beech forests, which in Germany otherwise only occur on five percent of their original area. The ancient beech forests provide a habitat for the goldeneye, which breeds in black woodpecker holes, as well as for rare beetles such as the stag beetle and the hermit beetle. Rare animal species such as the otter, the white-tailed eagle, and the kingfisher also call this park home. Tip: At the "Alte Oberförsterei" visitor center, you can discover the park's nature in an interactive exhibition and explore the sensory garden. Or how about a canoe tour along the pristine Rheinsberg Rhine? 🚣 🌊 🐞

There is also an information board here.

Now we walk through the city, there are information boards everywhere. We reach Schinkelplatz, in the center is the Luisen monument. In the spring we were in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, at the place where the queen died, the Schinkel monument was erected in memory of the laying in state in Gransee in 1810. Cranes fly over us. https://youtu.be/NudcDH1mlvI