Anyone who gets out of bed early – and by early, I mean before the first smell of freshly baked bread at the bakery – will not only be treated to a sunrise at Pätzer Vordersee, but also a kind of landscape theater that exists entirely without curtains. Just sky, water, and light. You stand there, as still as a frog in the reeds, and think to yourself: This is Brandenburg in widescreen format.
The loop around the lake is just under seven kilometers long – perfect for people who want to walk more than hike, but still need the feeling of being on the move. The path winds through sparse forests, past hidden swimming spots, and repeatedly offers views of water that, in the morning, is so smooth as if it had been freshly ironed by the night.
On the eastern shore, the reeds rustle as if they were trying to tell you something. Perhaps that the lake is part of the Dahme-Heideseen Nature Park. Or that it's up to 16.2 meters deep—which, given the shallow Brandenburg lake, almost qualifies as a deep-sea adventure. And somewhere between the Vordersee and Hintersee lakes, there's a modern weir with a fish pass so that migratory fish can reconnect. Even the fish here are on a migratory holiday.
If you're lucky, you won't encounter anyone, just your own thoughts and a heron that looks like it just twisted itself while practicing yoga. Those who arrive later might hear more voices—children on the shore, anglers in boats, the wind sneaking through the trees.