Finkenberg Observation Tower

The Finkenberg viewing tower stands in the Döberitzer Heide, a 5 000-hectare landscape in the Havelland district. It belongs to the Nauener Platte region and stretches west of Berlin’s city border down to Potsdam. The area once served as a military training ground from 1713 until 1991, first under Prussian kings and later under Soviet forces. After the army left, the Heinz Sielmann Foundation turned most of the land into a nature reserve. Two protected zones now cover about 3 600 hectares of open heath, sand flats and wet meadows. The site is worth visiting because it shelters nearly 6 700 plant, fungus and animal species. Among them are rare orchids, lizards and two kinds of prehistoric fairy shrimp. Large plant-eaters such as bison, Przewalski’s horses and red deer roam the inner core. Since 2024 a nature discovery centre near Elstal offers guided walks and talks about the land’s wildlife. The reserve also follows the European habitat directive to protect endangered habitats. Visitors find a three-tier fence around the core zone, with bison, horses and deer living inside. Outside this fenced area the surrounding ring zone uses cattle, sheep and donkeys to keep the grasslands open. Well-marked paths lead to viewpoints where walkers can watch the animals and enjoy wide views over heath and forest. Information boards explain the reserve’s history from military use to modern conservation.