Freienwalde

Freienwalde lies near the Oder at the edge of the Barnim uplands. A charter issued here by Margrave Waldemar in 1316 provides its first recorded mention. Its position between wooded heights and the river lowlands shaped a small Brandenburg town whose rulers later maintained a hunting house here. A mineral spring discovered in 1683 brought a new reputation to the place. In 1799 a small palace designed by David Gilly was built as a summer residence for Frederika Louisa, widow of King Frederick William II of Prussia.