Windmühlenberg nature reserve

Windmühlenberg in Gatow, with its post windmill, rises up to 52 metres above sea level on the edge of the historic village centre.

The area is a protected nature reserve due to its steppe vegetation, which is only rarely found in Berlin. But the vegetation, which is characterised by grey hair-grass and lichens, is not the only thing that makes a visit here worthwhile. It’s also the scene of the most bizarre episodes in Spandau’s film history.

Until 1921, a post windmill sat proudly atop the hill, but it literally went up in smoke. The windmill was burnt to the ground for the film “Evelyn’s Love Adventures or Murder Mill on Evans Hill". Unfortunately, it wasn’t only the windmill that has disappeared since then, but also the footage: the film is still considered lost today. However, in 2008 another windmill was built on the hill and inaugurated during Gatow’s 750th anniversary celebrations.

At the weekend, after visiting the windmill, you can fortify yourself with coffee and cake at the neighbouring Gutshof Gatow. To the north of Windmühlenberg is another nature reserve, the Rieselfelder Karolinenhöhe.