The name of the Brandenburg town Treuenbrietzen gained fame through the old folk song “Sabinchen was a woman”, in which it says: “Sabinchen was a woman, / even gracious and virtuous. / She always lived faithfully and honestly / with her employer. / A young man came from Treuenbrietzen / / he wanted to own Sabinchen / and was a shoemaker. ”The shoemaker who“ has already drunk his money ”now wants money from her, but she doesn't have any, so she will become robbed the employers. When the theft is revealed, Sabinchen is chased out of the house. She scolds the shoemaker for it, who then takes his razor and cuts her throat. He is arrested and confesses to the fact that the “moral of the story” is that you shouldn't trust a cobbler.
The poor "Sabinchen" was immortalized in 1984 in front of the town hall of Treuenbrietzen in the form of a memorial. Every year in June, the Sabinchen Festival takes place with a parade and the freestyle for the new Sabinchen couple. Because actually she was "very kind and virtuous" ...
A comfortable, ecologically renovated domicile awaits you in the former stables, offering a mixture of old charm, traditional building and modern standards. The beautiful country house elements such as wooden beams, clay plaster or exposed brickwork meet contemporary comfort consisting of, among other things, underfloor heating, electric roof window blinds and high-quality appliances. In the Hygge house, up to 5 people can sleep comfortably, i.e. "hyggelig".
Our house is a non-smoking building. If this rule is broken, we will have to charge 300 euros for special cleaning.
The ground floor
In the hallway there is a stylish wardrobe that we had made from the side part of an old wooden staircase. To the left is a small, retro-style toilet, and across from it, on the lovingly constructed exposed brickwork, is a beautiful, solid sliding door. Through the bright hallway you come into the living room. Here, in the large room, there is a stylish dining and living area: a dining area with a view of the garden and the village church, as well as a TV/chill area with three sleeping options. The 1.20 meter wide sofa bed offers a comfortable place to sleep for two people, and the miracle cubes can be converted into a comfortable bed in a few simple steps. The large chest of drawers can also be used as a dog box if your four-legged friend likes to relax in a closed room. A showcase made of wood and steel fits perfectly into the interior, which is a mixture of country house and industrial design. The cast-iron fireplace creates a cozy atmosphere on cold days, and your four-legged friend can make himself comfortable in the dog bed. There is underfloor heating throughout the house.
The extension Directly adjacent to the house is an extension in which we built a second bedroom with an extra bathroom in June 2023. Two couples, parents with children or a couple of friends can travel and spend their time out together - if they want to - and separately - if they want. Proximity paired with privacy - always what you need. We designed the bedroom in a forest design: green and earth tones, lots of natural wood and a warm atmosphere. The adjoining bedroom has an industrial feel, but also exudes a lot of cosiness - thanks to hand-carved wooden furniture and eye-catchers in mustard yellow and rust.
The upper floor
A steel staircase with steps made of local oak wood takes you to the light-flooded and spacious upper floor. We have set up a small seating and reading area to the left of the stairs, and a small dressing room to the right. The old double bed in the bedroom, accompanied by beautiful chests of drawers, blends harmoniously into the ambience, which is characterized by old wooden beams and the high sloping ceiling. The ceiling fan cools you down when it's hot, but if necessary you can also open the window for airing, because thanks to the insect net unwanted guests stay outside.
The large bathroom with walk-in shower features a window, quality furniture, and a few vintage items that caught our eye at flea markets and antique shops. Towels are - just like bed linen - part of the included amenities during your stay.
The garden
The garden is not big but magical. The old village church, which is lit up in the evenings, makes for a beautiful backdrop. The church bell only rings once a day: in summer at 6 p.m. and in winter at 5 p.m. In May you can enjoy the view of an old lilac tree from one of the two sun loungers, and a magnolia will delight you with its blossoms in March. An old vine adorns the brick wall around the patio door. Otherwise you will only find a few bushes, some lavender and a lot of lawn. A high-quality wooden terrace with garden furniture makes the garden perfect, because you can have breakfast and relax on it. If necessary, also with protection from the sun, because there is a large parasol. Incidentally, the garden furniture is made of FSC-certified wood.
The sustainability
In the spirit of sustainability, we have saved many old elements and installed them in a pretty way. We have already mentioned the former life of the hallway cloakroom; the two armchairs actually come from Denmark and accompanied their owners on trips through South America until they finally landed in Berlin and were bought by us. The old chains on which the living room lamps hang come from old horse harnesses. The old Singer sewing machine table is looking forward to its second chance in the reading corner, and the old wooden bed, which has changed hands several times, gives the cozy bedroom a venerable shine. The wall tiles in the guest toilet are from the GDR era - we found them in the barn and decided to save them from the landfill. We also had the toilet and bathroom doors - also forgotten in the barn - restored in a small wood workshop.
In accordance with the old style of construction, we have also used clay plaster almost throughout the house: this creates a beautiful, healthy indoor climate and pays tribute to traditional craftsmanship. So that the clay plaster can continue to breathe, we used high-quality eco-colors, which we partially refined with turmeric, beetroot and carrot juice to achieve the perfect shade. We used 14 centimeter thick hemp panels to insulate the roof truss, and under the wooden parquet in the bedroom there is a thin layer of cork instead of styrofoam as footfall sound insulation. And there are also high-quality, ecological dog accessories waiting for our four-legged guests: towels made from organic cotton, enamel bowls in hand-forged dog bars, compostable waste bags and sustainable beds. If you are interested in more sustainable dog accessories - our country shop UNIQUE DOG is just around the corner waiting to be visited!
For an additional fee, we would be happy to prepare a breakfast for you using local products - depending on the season, even directly from our own garden. Whereby it is mainly in the vegetarian or vegan direction, so it is best to discuss your preferences in advance.
Our high-quality, 3.40 meter long kitchenette is also fun for amateur cooks. Here you will find a refrigerator, an oven and a dishwasher as well as high-quality kitchen appliances such as stove & amp; Oven, toaster, refrigerator, multi-chopper, hand mixer, French press coffee machine and dishwasher. Similar to our home, we have tried to avoid plastic in the kitchen of the Hygge House in the interests of sustainability. Instead of a plastic coffee machine, you will find a French press made of high-quality stainless steel. The toaster and the kettle are very low in plastic (they are not yet completely plastic-free). Instead of Tupperware, there are glass containers with bamboo lids.
There are plenty of shopping opportunities in the area to fill the fridge. In addition to the big supermarket chains, there are also some local producers where you can buy organic products at a glance. In Kathrin Hörold's farm shop (Brachwitzer Dorfstr. 24, Treuenbrietzen-Brachwitz), for example, which is open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon, you can get goose, duck, rabbit, fallow deer, pork and lamb, as well as eggs and sausage. The Streubel farm shop in Mühlenfließ (Mittelstraße 2) offers lamb, salami, potatoes and eggs on Fridays from 3 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. and Saturdays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. And the Bardenitzer Hofladen (Bardenitzer Dorfstraße 64, Treuenbrietzen-Bardenitz) offers seasonal products: from April including asparagus, strawberries and cherries, from September various types of edible and decorative pumpkins and from the 1st of Advent Christmas trees. The opening times are as follows: March Thu - Sat / April-June Mon - Sun / July - November Wed - Sun / 1.-23. December Mon-Sun 9 am-6pm and December 24th 9 am-12pm. However, if you want to buy organic products from the region around the clock, regardless of opening times, you can do so at the 24-hour vending machine at the Engelhardt Weidelandfarm in Beelitz (Am Lustgarten / Jacobs Cafe). At the vending machine you can buy eggs, sausage and Bruderhahn products (e.g. various cold cuts, salamis, liver sausage), but also organic coffee, pumpkin products, fruit spreads, honey and fruit wine, even without cash.
Or if you want to eat out, we can recommend a few restaurants in the immediate vicinity. Whether tsatsiki, mezes starter plate, gyros, souvlaki, bifteki, moussaka or the galaktoboureko dessert - in the taverna Ja Mas you can enjoy all the highlights of Greek cuisine in a tasty and authentic way before you wash them down with a metaxa. Also in Treuenbrietzen, but with an even more international touch, you can eat in Sabinchen's pantry. In addition to steaks and burgers, the family business also serves tarte flambée, soljanka, wild herb salads, Mediterranean king prawns or panna cotta and quark balls. Diverse Italian cuisine with all its refinements and tasty food creations is available in the Due Fratelli restaurant, where you can also enjoy the outside area on sunny days. Of course you can find pizza, pasta & amp; Co., but also great starters, meat dishes and fish specialties; in addition - with the exception of a German Riesling - only authentic Italian wines.
You may already have noticed that we are pretty big dog lovers. Anyone who travels with their four-legged friend is never bored anyway, so not even when they come to us. In addition to all sorts of accessories and food in the Hygge House, we also offer you tips on going for a walk - because we know that the first challenge after arrival for most dog owners is finding a suitable lap. Our favorite routes include the tour of the forest and fields, past the Nieplitz Canal (approx. 1.5 hours); the village forest, which offers exciting paths, some with greater differences in altitude, for strolling, picking mushrooms and relaxing; the path through the small town of Treuenbrietzen, which is suitable for leisurely walks, even with a dog (journey: 4 km); or one of the many hiking routes from the end of Treuenbrietzen, concreted or as a forest path, also good for cycling with your dog (journey: approx. 7 km). We would be happy to recommend other gas routes, just talk to us about them!
And of course there is also a lot to see and do for guests without a dog. For example a visit to the "Sabinchenstadt" Treuenbrietzen, which was first mentioned in 1208. Many of the local buildings date from this period, such as the churches in the districts of Bardenitz, Brachwitz, Lobbese, Marzahna, Pechüle, Pflügkuff, Rietz, Schwabeck, Zeuden and the town churches of St. Nikolai and St. Marien. The village church Niebel, visible from our garden, however, dates from the 19th century, but the gothic carved altar in it was built between 1478-1480. As one of the oldest buildings in Treuenbrietzen, the town hall was first mentioned in 1290 as a trading and warehouse. Directly in front of it is the Sabinchen monument by the sculptor Lothar Sell, which was erected in 1984 as a reference to the old folk song "Sabinchen was a woman". Every year in June, the Sabinchen Festival takes place with a parade and the freestyle for the new Sabinchen couple. The theater "Kammerspiele Treuenbrietzen" was built in 1938. In 2002, citizens from Treuenbrietzen and the surrounding area came together to save it from decay and to revive it as a registered individual monument. Since then it has served as a cultural performance, meeting and meeting place: to this day there are film screenings, but also bars, skat tournaments and music events. In the Treuenbrietzen city park there is a swan pond, a grove of honor for war victims and several memorial stones. You will find even more nature east of Treuenbrietzen, where the swampy and wooded nature reserve Zarth is located. "Zarth" (or "Čert") comes from Slavic and means "devil", which is why the area is popularly known as "devil's forest". But be careful: it is an almost jungle-like, damp and dense forest area with a largely inaccessible quarry forest.
You can get closer to nature in the treetop path in Beelitz-Heilstätten (here, in addition to English, Polish is spoken). Here you can explore the area alone or as part of the porter's tour. You can relax in the SteinTherme in Bad Belzig. The "LichtKlangRaum" is particularly innovative, in which you can throw off the burden of everyday life with pleasant sounds and the play of light and colors - above and below water. In addition, there is the well-preserved Eisenhardt Castle in the city, whose imposing, 28-meter-high keep is used as a lookout tower.
In the capital of the state of Brandenburg, Potsdam, you can expect unique palace and park facilities - e.g. Sanssouci - and the bourgeois core city with all its beautiful buildings. These cultural landscapes were included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990 as the largest ensemble of German world heritage sites. Potsdam has also been a UNESCO film city in the network of Creative Cities since 2019 - after all, the Babelsberg film studio was founded here in 1912 as the world's first major film studio.
There is even more German UNESCO heritage in Wittenberg, which is not called "Lutherstadt" for nothing: Martin Luther was a lecturer and student at the local university from 1508, worked here on his doctorate from 1511 and gave lectures, supposedly his famous Having posted 95 theses on the main portal of the castle church, he was later a preacher at the Wittenberg town church and was buried below the pulpit in the castle church in Wittenberg after his death in 1546. The latter as well as the town church of St. Marien, the Lutherhaus and the Melanchthonhaus have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1996.
What’s there for children?
Excursions in the immediate vicinity can also be exciting for our younger guests, there is plenty of nature to discover here. In the city park of Treuenbrietzen there is also a skate park and a playground right next to the swan pond. The municipal outdoor pool is also right next to it and welcomes its visitors from May to September on weekdays from 3pm to 6pm and on weekends from 12pm to 6pm - even daily from 12pm to 6pm during the holidays. You can also swim, fish or cycle around the Treuenbrietzen quarry pond, which is 8.50 meters deep at its deepest point.
There is also an outdoor pool in neighboring Jüterbog, which offers a 53-meter-long water slide, diving boards and a diving tower, adventure pool with water mushroom, water jet system and splash water showers or a shady toddler paddling pool with children's water slide, pelican and the splash duck "Ducki". And outside of the water, a mud play area for building climbing castles, an adventure playground, table tennis tables and places for beach volleyball, five-a-side football and basketball. It opens depending on the weather - like the local snack bar - from May to September on Mondays from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. and from Tuesday to Sunday and on public holidays from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The community is also home to the skate arena, which is part of the "Flaeming-Skate" region. If necessary, you can also take special skate courses here, but cyclists, handbikers and wheelchair users can also use the smooth track. You can also discover all of the surrounding nature while actively rolling on the many concrete stretches!
In the CLIMB UP! - Climbing forest in Klaistow you can sniff mountain air under safe circumstances. Several different mountain worlds, courses and zip lines, but also special kids courses await the visitors.
If you like castles and palaces, we recommend the well-preserved Rabenstein Castle, which was built around 1300. There are musical tours, knight meals and a 30 meter high keep with a view of the local nature park Hoher Fläming. The castle's falconry is also open from April 1st to October 15th, offering flight demonstrations every day at 2:30 p.m. (except Mondays). And always on the last weekend in September the historical castle festival "Rabensteiner Herbst" takes place, at which historical minstrels, jugglers, knights and craftsmen can be admired.
Even if it is bad, there are opportunities to experience something: Europe's largest tropical holiday world, the "Tropical Islands" adventure pool is located in Krausnick and therefore only an hour's drive from us. Numerous attractions such as a large indoor rainforest or Germany's highest water slide tower, a white water canal, various water worlds, mini golf, balloon rides and restaurants, cafes and massages await on 10,000 square meters.
