Prignitz

If you wish to visit Brandenburg's most northerly region, you should allow yourself plenty of time. After all, you'll find reminders of a turbulent history at every turn, such as the historical Plattenburg Castle dating from 1319, which was built as a border fortress for the pilgrimage trail from Berlin to Bad Wilsnack, and now houses a museum. Sometimes history get mixed up with myth, as with the knight Christian Friedrich von Kahlbutz near Kampehl. Legend has it that the respected knight murdered a shepherd from Bückwitz out of jealousy, and then lied before the court swearing: "If I am a murderer, then may God stop my body from rotting." Unfortunately for the knight, you can still see his corpse, which has been preserved under glass for almost 300 years, in the annex of the old fortified church, and it's still not clear whether he was telling the truth or not.

Right next to Kyritz in the village of Gantikow is the Museum of Lies - probably Germany's most unusual museum. The manor house dating from 1900 is decorated with colourful frescoes and contains a collection of everyday and outrageous stories from the rural region. Just two kilometres from the Wittstock exit on the autobahn is the town of the same name, on the outskirts of which one of the most important battles of the Thirty Years' War was fought. It was in September 1636 that the Imperial Saxon troops lost their battle for supremacy against the Swedes in northern Germany. The 'Swedish poplar' on Mount Scharfenberg and a 70-tonne erratic boulder still serve as reminders of this phenomenal event that is commemorated at Europe's first "Museum of the Thirty Years' War". The permanent exhibition in the tower covers seven floors, telling the story of those wretched years of war and recreating battles in dioramas. Between Wittstock and Pritzwalk is the "Kloster Stift zum Heiligengrabe“ convent, one of the few religious houses in the March of Brandenburg still offering accommodation. Its well preserved architecture and long tradition of holding concerts in the collegiate church make this Protestant nunnery a popular destination for days out. By prior arrangement, visitors can take a tour inside the medieval walls and stay overnight at the nearby 'Klosterhof'.