Neuruppin

Neuruppin, seat of the Ostprignitz-Ruppin district on the shore of the Ruppiner See, is known as the "Fontanestadt" — birthplace of novelist Theodor Fontane, born in 1819 at the town's Löwenapotheke pharmacy — and also of the architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel, born here in 1781. A devastating fire in 1787 destroyed much of the town, including Schinkel's own family home, and the subsequent Neoclassical rebuilding gave Neuruppin its distinctive townscape, earning it a reputation as one of the most thoroughly Prussian towns in the region. Both native sons are commemorated with dedicated sites in the town today.

Neuruppin is reachable by regional train and by road from Berlin, about 70 km to the southeast.

The Neoclassical town centre is compact and walkable, laid out on the shore of the Ruppiner See.

• The Löwenapotheke, Theodor Fontane's birthplace and now a memorial site (Fontane-Haus).
• Neuruppin's Neoclassical town centre, rebuilt after the 1787 fire, with sites commemorating both Fontane and Karl Friedrich Schinkel.

Walking the Neoclassical old town and visiting the Fontane memorial sites are the main organised activities; the Ruppiner See offers swimming and boating in summer.

• Berlin — Germany's capital city, reachable by regional train
• Nearby towns in Brandenburg — explore the surrounding region