Fodor's Expert Review Heilandskirche Sacrow

You'd be forgiven for wondering if you'd been transported to Italy when you first glimpse this dreamy lakeside church, complete with a campanile (bell tower) and mosaic-adorned colonnade, from across the Havel Lake or through the Sacrower Schlosspark near Potsdam. Actually, the church suffered a grim fate for many years, trapped in the no-man’s-land of the outer Berlin Wall. From 1961 to 1989, the East German government closed the church, fearing that it would serve as a hiding place for those trying to flee. Now it is restored and again in use, and makes the perfect endpoint to a scenic walk from the lakeside village of Kladow. To reach it, take the S75 train from Central Berlin to S-bahnhof Heerstrasse, then the X34 Bus to Alt-Kladow, then follow Sakrower Landstrasse until it turns into Kladower Strasse and ends at Schloss Sacrow. The path out to the water will take you to the church.