Travels with Alyx: Boitzenburg and Prenzlau

I always knew I was a princess! We stayed the last two days at the Schlosshotel Boitzenburg. We arrived on Monday, and on Tuesday recieved a tour of the castle. There is not a bad angle to the place, and the views of the surrounding countryside from the rooftop are stunning! The main section of Schloss Boitzenburg was originally built in the 13^th century. The newer addition was made in the 1500s by a wealthy Irish family who purchased the house.

During World War II, part of the castle was used as the Japanese embassy. Later it was used to house refugees fleeing from the advancing Red Army. This was during the winter, and many of the castle furnishings were burned for firewood. After the castle was abandoned it was looted by the local populace, so none of the original furnishings remain. Years after the war it was used as a typhus clinic, which kept the army disinterested in the property. Later it was utilized by the GDR army, but after reunification it was abandoned again.

In the 1990s the abandoned castle was purchased by an investor for one Deutschmark. Four years and 33 million Euro went into the renovation of the castle, turning it into a kinder and youth hotel. The renovation was completed in 2004 and the hotel now hosts about 350 children and youth each summer who participate in a variety of water and craft activities. This afternoon we went to Prenzlau, to Naturerlebnis Uckermark, an educational ecological station. This place helps to educate children on sustainable practices and ecological conservation.

They invite teachers and their students here and teach them about the environment and how to protect it, by giving them alternatives to current socio-environmental practices. They also do experiments with nature. The director showed us to many parts of the preserve. They have several gardens, including raised beds, and local schools are invited to grow their own produce here. In the gardens are varieties of wheat and tomatoes that are nearly extinct in some parts of Germany, so the preserve is actually re-teaching people how to grow these crops. A lot of the buildings here have green roofs, including the chicken coop, which allows the children to see each step in the process of how an egg becomes a chicken. They take us to the butterfly garden and explain that they teach local people how to plant certain flowers to attract butterflies. There is a water garden here so that students can study water habitats, and erosion boxes which allow them to do soil experiments. Of course there are animal habitats of all kinds, including a petting zoo.

There are also some very exotic animals such as ostriches and peacocks, and a Spanish breed of goat that was introduced to America when Columbus first came over. Part of the property contains a lake that was created when the last Ice Age ended and the ice caps melted. The last part of the preserve we visit is the energy station where they conduct experiments and teach visitors about the different methods of producing energy using solar, wind, and water power. Late afternoon we split into three groups. I was with the group that visited a youth center and learned about how the center helps to provide a place for kids to go to after school and in the summers, and provides tutoring for those who need it. After reuniting with the rest of the group at a local lake, we went to dinner in a lovely little restaurant in Boitzenburg that is located on the grounds of a former monastery.