Splendid Spandau: A Tour of Berlin‘s Other Medieval Heart

Spandau has been a part of Berlin since 1920 but, before then, it was its own proud city with a history that goes back even further than Berlin itself. Much of its medieval Old Town was destroyed in World War II but on this walking tour, I‘ll show you where to find traces of its ancient history.

Starting in front of Rathaus Spandau (City Hall), you‘ll hear about the former city‘s military past and how it gave up its independence to join neighboring Berlin. You‘ll walk along Mühlengraben, where some remains of the Old City Wall have survived. From there, you‘ll enter the Old Town and hear about the once vibrant and important Jewish community that lived there in the Middle Ages. As you make your way to Spandau Citadel where our tour ends, you‘ll see medieval landmarks including Spandau‘s oldest house, the Gotisches Haus Museum (Gothic House Museum), St Nicolai Church which goes back to the 1400s, and a memorial to the 19th-century synagogue that was destroyed by the Nazis in November 1939.

On this Berlin tour, you‘ll have an opportunity to:

• Spot an original fire alarm that‘s over 100 years old
• Hear about some of Spandau‘s Jewish citizens who were killed by the Nazis, and others who managed to escape
• Visit some of Berlin‘s oldest houses on Market Square, as well as Berlin‘s oldest hotel, Zum Stern, and oldest pharmacy, Adler Apotheke
• See where the Spree flows into the Havel River
• Find the window that lets you look underneath Reformationsplatz (Reformation Square) to see medieval remains
• Discover two hidden fountains dating back to the 1300s
• Stroll down Berlin‘s oldest cobblestone street
• Stop by one of Berlin‘s most popular beer gardens at Brauhaus Spandau
• Understand the symbolism of the Memorial to the Spandau Synagogue
• Hear about the true meaning behind the Spandau Ballet
• Take in St Mary‘s Church, built for some of the city‘s Belgian workers

By the end of this 60-minute tour, you‘ll have seen a part of Berlin that most tourists miss!