Start of the Season at the Angermünde Tourist Information Office

Johanna Henschel, director of the tourist information office at Haus Uckermark, provides information on a wide variety of activities available through the end of October

The Angermünde Tourist Information Office in “Haus Uckermark” kicked off the 2023 season on April 1 and will be open daily through October 31 for all visitors to the town and for Angermünde residents themselves — Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on weekends (i.e., Saturdays and Sundays) as well as on holidays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. In the following interview, the executive director of the tourism association and head of the Tourist Information Office at Haus Uckermark, Hoher Steinweg 17/18, provides information about the services available.

The purpose of the tourist information office is right there in the name. What can visitors expect from your facility, Ms. Henschel?

We have once again published the tried-and-true Angermünde events calendar. It lists all the dates for guided tours, concerts, theater performances, and much more that were firmly scheduled as of the editorial deadline. However, Angermünde’s clubs, tourism businesses, event organizers, and cultural institutions are very active, and new offerings are constantly being added throughout the current season—which is why we always recommend checking our website, www.angermuende-tourismus.de, for additional information. We also have numerous flyers for special recreational and excursion offers. And, of course, as staff members of the Tourist Information Office, we’re available to provide our visitors with detailed explanations, advice, and assistance in finding accommodations, hotels, vacation rentals, guesthouses, and more. And of course, we’re also available by phone at 03331 297660 for questions, bookings, and reservations. We have tips and informational materials for the entire Uckermark region.

Of course, there are also tickets available, for example for the movie nights held about every two weeks in the auditorium at Haus Uckermark.

A well-developed tourism infrastructure is only useful if potential users know about it. How does the tourist information office ensure this?

For example, through flyers or pocket-sized guidebooks for bike tours. Over the past twenty years, a large, well-developed network of bike and hiking trails has emerged. “You don’t need a car here,” we say—and for good reason—and our little cycling brochure convincingly backs that up with eleven varied routes in all directions across the Uckermark. These routes even extend beyond the district’s borders toward Chorin, which is, after all, part of the historic Uckermark. There are options for families with young children, as well as longer tours for enthusiastic cyclists. My personal recommendation is the “From Monastery to Monastery” tour, from Angermünde to Prenzlau. It’s 47 exciting kilometers with many interesting stops along the way. This tour passes by the Seehausen and Warnitz train stations, so you can take the train back if you’d like.

City tours are very popular for helping visitors and locals get to know the area or become more familiar with it. We’ve heard that Angermünde plans to expand this great program even further this season?

Yes, a great variety of activities has developed in our town and its neighborhoods. On Saturdays, as usual, we invite you to join us at 11 a.m. for guided tours of Angermünde’s Old Town, led by our trusted tour guides. These tours are also available on Fridays at 3 p.m. On Sundays at 10:30 a.m., we offer the “Grumsin – A Glimpse into the World Natural Heritage Site” tour. The tour starts at the World Heritage bus stop at the Angermünde train station, and the bus takes us to Altkünkendorf. From there, the tour continues on foot into the forest, even touching on the core zone of the protected beech forest. This tour covers six kilometers and lasts about three hours—it’s the introductory tour. In addition, there is the longer tour, “Grumsin – A Primeval Forest Takes Shape,” held on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month. Lasting four hours and covering rough terrain, it presents a physical challenge. Appropriate footwear and adequate protective clothing are recommended. We ask that you register for both tours, as the number of participants is limited to 15 per tour.

Once again on the program is the partially dramatized guided tour “Aben(d)teuerliches KetzerAngermünde,” which sets out to trace the footsteps of the Angermünde heretics and their inquisitors, the Gray Monks. It’s no coincidence that the town was once nicknamed “KetzerAngermünde.” The tour dates are May 12 and July 14, both at 8 p.m.

Also of great interest is the new exhibition “Maids, Power, and Religious Conflict—Angermünde Through the Ages,” which traces the city’s history through specific locations from the 14th to the 18th century. It is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. on June 9, September 8, and October 13.

Another relatively new offering is the tour “The Dark Side of Angermünde,” which explores notable criminal cases in the city and will be available again starting this fall—throughout the season. The tour dates are October 14, November 11, and December 16, at 1 p.m. each day.

Advance registration is required for all of these tours. In all of these programs, we are guided by the idea of experiencing culture in the here and now and preserving it for the future.

By the way, guided tours of the Angermünde cemetery—which is steeped in culture and history—are in the works. More on that soon. And on April 27, there will be the first-ever guided tour focusing on the end of the war in Angermünde, the city’s liberation without a fight, and the role played by the two Angermünde craftsmen, Otto Miers and Walter Curt Nölte, in these events.

For those who want to explore Angermünde or the surrounding villages on their own—what options are available?

For those visitors, our many informational resources naturally provide a good foundation for setting out on their own—whether by bike, on foot, or via public transportation. And I definitely want to mention the two Angermünde excursion buses, which are also open to regular travelers. The BiberBus (Line 496) runs every two hours throughout the week. It connects the train station with the NABU Center at Blumberger Mühle, Görlsdorf (Lenné-Park), and Wolletz (Wolletzsee and the rehabilitation clinic). The WelterbeBus Grumsin (Line 497), which runs via Schmargendorf (Hofcafé Hemme Milch), Zuchenberg (equestrian center) to Altkünkendorf (Grumsin Information Point with the trailhead to the Buchenwald Grumsin and the observation tower in the church), shortens its service frequency to every hour on weekends (starting at 9:40 a.m.; Monday through Friday starting at 10:40 a.m.). You can find detailed schedules, fares, and further information about public transportation on our website.

Where can you find unique Angermünde souvenirs and gifts?

We don’t just offer flyers, admission tickets, and room reservations. We can actually offer our guests some lovely items as well. For example, Hans-Joachim Borecky from Greiffenberg supplies us with very original wooden figurines, crafted by hand with great care and artistry. For example, there’s the “Mood Bird” made of beech wood, where you can turn the head to match your actual or desired mood. We also carry jams from Boitzenburg, spirits from the Grumsiner Brennerei, wine from the Kraatz estate, and much more. You can also sit in the beautiful garden of “Haus Uckermark,” enjoy the view of St. Mary’s Church, and savor tea, coffee, or other hot beverages, along with an “Angermünder Ecke” from the local Schreiber Bakery.

The tourist information office also acts as an event organizer itself. And this season, it has two particularly interesting offerings.

Yes, absolutely, though I have to say that our resources in this area are limited. But thanks to this wonderful Haus Uckermark, where we now welcome visitors to the tourist information office, we really have no choice but to organize something here ourselves. On Friday, June 9, at 7 p.m., we invite you to the event “Flower Songs on a Forest Walk.” Swedish singer Brigitta Rydholm will perform the flower songs, and Roland Schulz will lead the forest walk, reading from his works “Wild Life on the Great River” and “Grumsin.” And on Saturday, September 9, at 6:30 p.m., the focus will be on the work of pop singer-songwriter Holger Biege. Gerd Christian will sing his brother’s hits, and author Wolfgang Martin—a renowned music journalist and longtime head of music at Antenne Brandenburg—will read from his book “Sagte mal ein Dichter.” Tickets are, of course, available for advance purchase from us!