Who does not know him, the Captain of Köpenick, who needed nothing more than a uniform from the junk and a convincing personality to play an ingenious trick on the Wilhelmine military state? A cobbler from East Prussia, already convicted several times for minor offenses, Wilhelm Voigt placed a squad of bona fide soldiers under his command on October 16, 1906, occupied Köpenick's town hall, arrested the mayor and looted the town treasury. Originally sentenced to four years in prison, Voigt, whose stroke of genius went around the world, was pardoned by Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1908. After his release, he performed several more times as the false Captain of Köpenick before moving to Luxembourg in 1910, where he died impoverished in 1922. In addition to a monument at the town hall of Köpenick, there is a permanent exhibition in the local history museum with numerous exhibits and informative panels on the Köpenickiade, which was processed artistically several times, for example in Carl Zuckmayer's play "The Captain of Köpenick".

After being drained from the 18th century onwards, the Oderbruch developed into one of the most interesting small landscapes in Europe. In 2022, the Oderbruch was the first cultural landscape to receive the European Heritage Seal, because the ideals and history of the European Union are symbolized here in a special way. Some of the total of 40 cultural heritage sites are located directly on the R1 European Cycle Route or can be reached with a short detour. These include the Neuhardenberg village school, the Letschin local history rooms, the Wilhelmsaue windmill, the Wollup local history room and the Buschdorf basketry museum.

100 years ago, Berlin was once the beer capital, when over 100 breweries were located in the city - more than in any other metropolis in the world. Probably the most famous beer is Berliner Weiße, a top-fermented beer that originated in the 16th century. It was considered a staple food, being cleaner than water. What remained was a large brewery with only one Berliner Kindl wheat beer. But with the Craft Beer trend from the United States, the Berliner Weisse was also rediscovered.

Regional enjoyment is written large in the Oder-Spree lake district. In a cozy atmosphere, regional dishes with the best seasonal ingredients can be enjoyed - best with a lake view! Especially recommended are the versatile fish dishes with freshly caught fish from the more than 300 lakes and rivers.