We found this place while hiking in the forests of the Märkische Schweiz nature reserve, and immediately fell in love with it. It has a unique atmosphere that is both splendid and completely laid-back. Not to mention the beautiful mountains (ok, hills).

Haus Tornow has everything you need to enjoy your weekend, such as a beach volleyball court, a rowing boat, a playground, a sauna, the Bob Dylan bar, and a pool table. The surrounding area is perfect for hiking or biking, and there are several historic sites nearby, such as Bertolt Brecht and Helene Weigel’s house in Buckow, and John Heartfield’s in Waldsieversdorf, or the impressive palace and park at Neuhardenberg.

Many of our guests will be able to stay in guest rooms in the house itself, and there are also bungalows and a 12-person apartment on the premises (see Accommodation page).

The house was built on the shores of Lake Tornow in 1908-12, next to an even larger villa which no longer exists, by a family belonging to the local aristocracy, and was bought by the German Retailers’ Association during the Weimar period. It later served as a military hospital, and in 1946, the Soviet Military Administration turned it into an orphanage. The house now belongs to a Berlin-based charity that uses the rent to fund its menthal health programs. If you read German, you might want to find out more about the history of the house, and of Tornow in general.