Hermannswerder - Paddling across the Havel waves

A good starting point for recreational boaters is Freundschaftsinsel (Friendship Island) on the Alte Fahrt (Old Canal). Passing the newly constructed buildings of Potsdam's city center, including the Potsdam Museum, the Brandenburg State Parliament, and the Museum Barberini, the paddling tour leads directly into Lake Templin. Along the way, the view encompasses the residential buildings of the Speicherstadt (Warehouse District). There, the tower of the former Royal Prussian Provisions Office, which supplied the city with grain in the mid-19th century, stands out. Nearby, the canal known as the Judengraben (Jews' Ditch), a name given since the 18th century, leads to the Havel bay "Hinterkappe" (Back Cap). This canal was named after a Jewish owner of a tannery and has since separated the island of Hermannswerder from the mainland.

You then paddle past the buildings of the Hoffbauer Foundation, which to this day unites numerous educational institutions on the island. The Schafgraben (Sheep Ditch) at the beach bar of the "Hotel am Havelufer" still carries water from Sanssouci Park into the Havel River. From 1764 onwards, the ditch was used to transport building materials for the New Palace from the Havel to the park.

Passing the ferry landing, the view sweeps across the Neustadt Havel bay with its striking steam engine house in the shape of a mosque. To this day, water for Sanssouci Park is pumped from here to the water basin on the Ruinenberg hill. The freestanding building housing the "Seerose" restaurant, designed by Ulrich Müther, forms a modern counterpart to the steam engine house. Passing the lower and upper Planitz, the Havel waves carry you across Lake Templin and along the Alte Fahrt canal back to Freundschaftsinsel (Friendship Island).