Bornim. Does the name ring a bell? Perhaps not yet but this place holds secrets and stories you will not forget. Bornim is more than just a suburb of Potsdam. It is a place where history meets horticulture where royal dreams once took root.
Bornim has maintained its village character. It became part of Potsdam in 1935. It offers visitors Lenné’s Feldflur, Katharinenholz, the Foerster Garden, and Bornim Church.
Let’s step back in time to 1264. Bornim was first mentioned. A family “de Bornem” owned it. Later, it belonged to the Marienkloster in Spandau. By 1375 Bornim was one of Brandenburg’s largest villages. It had 63 Ackerhufen and 21 Kossäten.
The Great Elector and Johann Moritz von Nassau-Siegen changed Bornim. “Das gantze Eyland muss ein Paradies werden” they said. A baroque palace with a pleasure garden emerged. It sat between Mitschurinstraße and Heckenstraße. The Great Elector and King Frederick I enjoyed spending time there. However the palace and garden fell into disrepair. They were torn down in 1756. The area became a military training ground. Colonists later settled there.
Friedrich Wilhelm IV commissioned Peter Joseph Lenné in 1842. He wanted Lenné to design the Bornim Feldflur. Alleys appeared. Farmland was framed with deciduous trees and hedges. This landscape was revived for the Bundesgartenschau 2001. Hiking trails were created and mulberry trees planted. There were once over 60000 mulberry trees for silkworm breeding.
Lenné also moved the Bornim estate to Fahrländer Lake. Ludwig Persius built a new manor house for the king. It had an Italian style. Today only the “Persiusturm” remains. Since 1919 the former estate has been an agricultural research institute. Today it is home to the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering Potsdam-Bornim e. V.
Bornim also houses the Brandenburg State Archives. Its documents date back to the Middle Ages.
Bornim’s soil is fertile. This is why Karl Foerster moved from Berlin to Bornim in 1910. He was a famous perennial breeder and garden philosopher. He created his “garden empire” on a 5000 square meter plot. He also started a perennial plant nursery. His house has a sunken garden a rock garden and trial gardens. The spring path and autumn bed followed the motto “it blooms through”. The garden was redesigned several times. Since 1981 the house and garden have been under monument protection. Garden lovers are always welcome to visit. Next door is the Foerster-Stauden nursery. There you can buy many of Karl Foerster’s 300 new breeds. Karl Foerster’s grave is in the Old Cemetery in Bornim.
A passionate amateur astronomer has set up a private observatory. It is on the roof of his Bornim detached house. He has discovered two minor planets since 2006. He named the first planet “Bornim”. He named the second after a befriended Potsdam astrophysicist “Schwope”.
Bornim Church was first mentioned in 1289. In 1500 a fieldstone church replaced it. In 1746 a baroque tower was added. Bornim grew and the church became dilapidated. In 1901 the old church was demolished. A new building began under the patronage of Empress Auguste Viktoria. The neo-Gothic brick building was consecrated on June 11 1903. The imperial couple attended. Empress Auguste Victoria donated the altar bible. Wilhelm II donated the organ. Two paintings and three bells were taken from the old church. So was the baptismal font. The altar is made of sandstone and oak. Two large murals are in the chancel. One shows Jesus blessing the children. The other shows Jesus on the road to Emmaus. The windows with Jesus depictions consecrated in 1951 are also worth seeing.
Katharinenholz invites you to take a walk. A popular destination is the “Düsteren Teiche”. It is a species-rich wetland surrounded by alder and willow bushes. In spring it is a mass spawning ground for the common toad.
Peter Joseph Lenné included Katharinenholz in his beautification plan. He made it accessible. The area was crossed by ditches and walls. It was used militarily for a long time. The saying 08/15 originated in Katharinenholz. 08/15 is a machine gun. It was tested in the shooting ranges in Katharinenholz. Various troop units used the facility until the early 1950s. Russian units were among them. It has been preserved to this day.
Bornim a place where every stone every tree and every path has a story to tell. A story of transformation of royal ambition and of horticultural innovation. As we leave Bornim take with you not just memories but a sense of connection to this place.