Havel City Zehdenick
In 2016, it will be 800 years since the town of Zehdenick was first mentioned in a document. This will be celebrated with a weekend of festivities from 23 to 26 June. The development of the once Bronze Age settlement over the centuries will be documented in a commemorative publication that records the most important events.
Around 1250, Zehdenick became known beyond the borders of the country. A host miracle led to the founding of the Cistercian monastery, which set out to gain importance as a place of pilgrimage. Even today, it is worth visiting the monastery complex, which is one of the city's sights. History is also told by striking buildings such as the Elisabeth Mill, the old town hall and the Havel Castle.
The good spirits of Zehdenick, twelve stone heads that adorn various house facades in the old town, invite you to take a "witty" stroll.
The Havel River enabled the economic upswing of the city in the times of industrialisation. Clay deposits gave rise to Europe's largest brick-making district. The bricks were transported to Berlin by water, which earned the capital the status of having been built "from a barge".
Today, the Havel is inextricably linked to tourism in the region and Zehdenick is a popular stop for boating holidaymakers on their way from Berlin to the Müritz. And even if there are no exotic animals on the edge of the Uckermark Lakes Nature Park, Zehdenick has two exotic-sounding structures: the "camel bridges", as the humpbacked constructions for crossing the Havel are popularly known.
The website of the town of Zehdenick: www.zehdenick.de