The town with a pre- sent population of 5.500 inhabitants is one of the oldest cities in the "Mark Branden- burg". The first docu- mentary mention is from 29 june 1232.

today´s view of the city centre from the south

the restored church - penciled

The town is situated on the edge of the 80 square miles large nature park "Märkische Schweiz" which is since 1957 under natural preserve. In the vicinity you can find a delightful lake, wood and hill landscape. Müncheberg ranks among the few towns of Germany, which possess a still almost completely walled city. Further town symbols are the two town gates with their towers and the protestant parish church ("Sankt Marien") which reopened in May 1997 after years of restoring.

The district "Märkisch Oderland" has a charming landscape and the typical road avenues are to be found here, too. Here nature seems to be still alright, and it is really. And so vacationers can find what they want: quiet woods invite for a walk, many lakes have a excellent water quality for fishing or swimming. The patient and attentive can see rare plant types and animal species. Yet you are only 30 miles from Berlin or 20 miles from the Polish border.

Buckow, the pearl of the "Märkische Schweiz" is just 3 miles away from Müncheberg and is easy to reach by the 1897 built train connection. In this city hectic and stress are fast forgotten, because not without a reason Fontane described in his "Walking tours through the Mark Brandenburg" about friendly scenic pictures of "hills and lakes, fir slopes and deciduous wood ravines, spring water which ripples over pebble and birch trees, from the wind nearly uproot, their long branches down dipped into the wood brook..."

Where today important federal roads cross the town Müncheberg was found in 1232 and got the name "Lubes". Cistercian monks established here a market place. They got the land for it from the slesic piastprince duke "Heinrich der Bärtige" (Henry the Bearded). The choosen name Lubes held not long because of frequent confusions with the town Lebus, another growing town in the district. Soon the name "Mönchsberg" was a custom and in a confirmation document of pope Gregory the IX one could read about Municheberc – Müncheberg.

The town developed fast in trade and handicraft to one of the important towns in the former district Lebus. Already in 1319 came the arrangement of the reign to build a city wall. On the 17th of April in 1432 a large damage was caused by invading hussits. They destroyed the "Küstriner Tor", plundered the church and set nearly the whole town on fire. The town had to suffer on consequences of the plague in 1605 which costs the life of 643 inhabitants. In the 30 years war nearly the half of the people in Müncheberg died and in the year 1641, the town burned down except of 6 houses.

A real recovery came not until the beginning of the 18th century. 40 french families settled here and a garrison was built, that stimulated trade and business life. Brandenburgs first museum of local history had his origin in our town. Besides Frankfurt/Oder and Fürstenwald/Spree, Müncheberg was one of the most important towns of the district Lebus.

In the twenties of the 20th century the free space in the inner city decreased and the "settlement" out of the city wall got more and more important. In this part of Müncheberg is situated our hotel, too.

In April of 1945, nearly everything was destroyed by german and russian armed forces. After a long bombardement the churches vault collapsed and the church burned down. Already in 1953 – 1958, Müncheberg was busy in restoring of the church tower which was planned and built by Karl Friedrich Schinkel in 1828/29.

The ship hoist of Niederfinow

An excursion destination is the 30 miles far away ship hoist of Niederfinow. Another popularity is the "Oderbruch", one of the last european intact riverbed landscapes. In the "Oderbruch" the river Oder forms the natural border to the Republic of Poland. This landscape with its area of nearly 270 square miles takes a third of the district "Märkisch Oderland", which covers the land form Berlin to the Oder.

Above all the many small villages which are divided in parts, the so called "Loose", are very characteristic for this area. With approximately 75 inhabitants per square mile lasts much space for the nature here. On the one hand gives the dry, continental climate many influences to the flora and fauna, on the other hand the Oder with ist changing water levels is the reason for the unique vegetation. In the area around Letschin were 353 seldom and protected plant types counted.

Nowhere else in Brandenburg, even in Germany damp and dry loving plants are living crowded together. Steppe plants which are known around the Black Sea, grow besides of reed and on pasture land one can find a variety of water plants. Special worth seeing are the Adonis Roses, which are in bloom every spring between Seelow and Lebus on the southern Oderslopes.

The 566 miles long Oder formed the landscape and influenced the nature as well as the life of the people today. The Oder with its fertile lowlands is a life donating river which is sometimes very peevish, but the inhabitants of the Bruch arranged with that. The biggest changes for this region were the years from 1747 to 1753. In this years the Prussian king Frederic II decided to straighten the riverbed. The shortening of the Oder was the condition for the drainage of the area around. The whole western bank was diked. The by floods influenced area developed after the drainage into a cultivated land.

Trees like willows and poplars can be found allover there. Acrewildplants, often dismissed as "weed", play a big role for the balance o the nature and are very charming in this landscape. Dense mixed forests at the edge of the Bruch are a special experience.

Especially in the time of thaw, also in time of heavy rainfalls in summer the area is threatened by broken dikes and inundation. Not long ago one of these events happened. In July and August of 1997 the water levels of the Oder rose to one in the 20th century not achieved height. The combined work of inhabitants and helpers has prevented a disaster for the Bruch.

As further trips we suggest Neuhardenberg with the Hardenberg castle which was built by the great architect Schinkel, one of the last intact watermills in the 7 miles far away village Worin or the 22 miles far away city Frankfurt/Oder.