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The Bertha Wiki

Sleep

The Bertha sleeps up to four people. Two in the bedroom on the huge bed, and another two on the armchair-sofa bed in the living-kitchen-work-dining room.

  • Bed

    The sleeping meadow is in the bow of the Bertha.

    Here you'll find space on a 1.60 x 2 meter cold foam mattress. Cold foam adapts flexibly to any sleeping position and is considered an all-rounder for every sleeping type.


    We provide bedding and sheets.

  • armchair-sofa bed

    This furniture offers three possible uses:

    Chilling, Gammeln, Pens


    Seriously, the two armchairs can be zipped together to form a couch. And that can be converted into a bed for up to two slim people by folding them down.

    Dimensions: 1.20 x 2 meters

Cook

Admittedly, the culinary offerings in Ranzow are limited. That's why Bertha offers a small but fine kitchen. Cooking is done with gas, and baking and grilling are done with green electricity.

You can get started right away:Here you'll find the recipe for a very simple yet delicious dish. The ingredients are already at your fingertips.

  • Spaghetti Berthastyle

    INGREDIENTS (available) for 2 people


       500g Spaghetti


    2 cloves of garlic


    1 can of tomatoes


    1 teaspoon vegetable stock


    1 tablespoon of Provençal herbs


    some oil



    PREPARATION


    1. Cook spaghetti in well-salted water for 10 minutes. Then rinse in a sieve.


    2. Peel and slice the garlic and fry it in oil. When it turns brown...


    3. Add tomatoes to the pan. Add seasonings. Pour over the pasta.


    4. Stir. Serve. Enjoy.

  • Cooking utensils

    2 pans


    3 pots with lids


    1 sieve


    2 bowls


    wooden spoon, salad servers, ladle


    Bilaetti Espresso Pot


    salt, pepper, chili

Eat

You can dine at your table with a view of the forest and fields. Soon, you'll be able to dine on the terrace.


You will find plates, cups, glasses and cutlery for four people in the drawers.

  • Plates & Cutlery

    4x cutlery (teaspoon, tablespoon, fork, knife)


    4 bowls


    4 small plates


    4 large plates


    4 Bags



Shopping

Ranzow isn't known as a premium shopping destination—nor are the surrounding areas. But there are insider tips:
The Hoflanden Ogrosen is a great shop with home-produced food and fine purchased items.

  • further shopping opportunities

    Classic shopping options in Altdöbern are easily accessible via bike paths, about 7 km away (Edeka and Netto).

    and in Calau, about 10 km away – also accessible via bike paths. There are also small shops in the town center and large supermarkets (Rewe, Netto, Lidl, Norma)


    Hardware stores are even further away in Großräschen, Vetschau, or Lübbenau. But luckily, you won't have to repair anything with us.

Work?

If you need to work, want to work, or are simply in the mood to relax, you will find the Wi-Fi key in the form of a QR code in the Bertha.

But if you really want to switch off, we're happy to help. Cell reception in the Bertha is so poor that a complete digital detox is also possible.

Let us know if you want us to turn off Wi-Fi.

Wash

Space is limited in the Bertha, so there's only one washing area for body, mind, and dishes. A cat wash basin.

Since the wastewater seeps into the ground, we ask you to use the provided Natural soap, of the Natural dishwashing detergent and also the Natural toothpaste.
If you don’t like this, please let us know – and we’ll find another solution.

  • Shower

    Behind the Bertha you'll find a small outdoor shower. It's actually quite spartan and only warm when the sun is shining.

    We are working hard to provide a nice sanitary area with a toilet and warm shower as soon as possible.

Heat

The mini fireplace is the heart of the Bertha – and you can light it yourself ;-). You can find the instructions below.

If that's too much work for you, there's the option of heating with electricity (green electricity). It's just half as comfortable.

  • Mini-Kamin-Tutorial

    The small stove is easy to light:


    If necessary, remove ash into the metal bucket.


    1. Place firelighters.

    2. Build a small "house" with two logs and a "roof" made of kindling.

    3. Open the air ducts. Pull out the front one. Push the rear one to the right next to the exhaust pipe.

    4. light

    5. Add more logs to the fire.

    6. After about 5 minutes, when the wood is completely burning, close the air vents.

    7. enjoy.



  • Mini-Kamin-Tutorial

    The small stove is easy to light:


    If necessary, remove ash into the metal bucket.


    1. Place firelighters.

    2. Build a small "house" with two logs and a "roof" made of kindling.

    3. Open the air ducts. Pull out the front one. Push the rear one to the right next to the exhaust pipe.

    4. light

    5. Add more logs to the fire.

    6. After about 5 minutes, when the wood is completely burning, close the air vents.

    7. enjoy.



Garbage and recycling

You'll find the trash cans under the sink. We ask that you separate packaging, paper, glass, and general waste.

You'll find the collection bins for paper, packaging, and general waste at the ranch. Glass can be disposed of in front of the fire station in the village center. Please do not do this at night or during lunchtime.

Toilet

At Bertha, you can use the composting toilet. It works without water. You sprinkle instead of flushing.

  • How does the composting toilet work?

    https://youtu.be/mHvSpZZjGMk

    The principle is to collect the small and large bowel movements separately. This reduces the unpleasant odors typical of plastic toilet cubicles.


    When peeing, you don't have to do anything except pee. When doing a big business, it's recommended to sprinkle the litter to your left. One cup is enough. Voilà.


    The liquid tank is disposed of in the on-site pit (during intermediate and final cleaning). We ask that you dispose of the bag containing the solid waste in the compost bin.

    Thank you for that.


    Watch the video from the manufacturer HERE.


And otherwise?

We love being good hosts. That includes wanting to know what you like and don't like. Talk to us. Write to us. This is the only way we can get even better.

Above all, please speak to us if something doesn't fit, breaks, or gets lost. This is the only way we can continue to be good hosts for our next guests.

The village

Today, Ranzow is a quiet place. That wasn't always the case.

  • A very short chronicle

    The Ranzow manor can be traced back to at least the 15th century. As early as 1480, it was probably owned by a von Zabeltitz family.

    The place name "Ranzow" was first documented in 1503 and has been recorded in various spellings over time, including "Ranzow" in 1564, "Rantzo" in 1581, and "Ransau" in 1583. The Lower Sorbian name is "Rańšow."

    The place name is derived from a personal name that probably sounded similar to "Raniš." With the Slavic ending "-ow," the name means "place of a Raniš."

    Ranzow has always been a Brandenburg enclave within the otherwise Saxon region of Lower Lusatia. This characterizes its early history. Ranzow suffered extensive damage during the Thirty Years' War. It is said that by 1652, the village was empty of inhabitants.

    Only the watermill on the stream remained in operation. During the 17th and 18th centuries, farmers and craftsmen returned and slowly rebuilt the village.

    A significant change occurred in the 19th century. Around 1812, farmers were given the opportunity to purchase their own farms, which led to greater independence.

    Two more terrible wars followed in the 20th century. The former manor house burned down in 1960.

    The watermill, which had been owned by the Petsch and Naboth families since 1725, remained an important part of village life and is now celebrating its 300th anniversary in 2025.

Run

Do you like running? Ranzow and the surrounding area offer plenty of opportunities. We've tested the best routes for you.

Feel free to use them. At your own risk.

  • The Ogrosen Loop 5.1 km

    once to Ogrosen and back.


    link googlemaps


    for strava, garmin, alltrails, ...

    Download gpx

  • Castle and Salt Lake Loop 16.2 km

    My favorite round


    link googlemaps


    for strava, garmin, alltrails, ...

    Download gpx

  • Gräbendorfer See 21.1 km

    Der Ranzow Halbmarathon


    link googlemaps


    for strava, garmin, alltrails, ...

    Download gpx

Hike

Do you like hiking? If so, we do too. We've tested the best routes for you:

  • The Ogrosen Loop 5.1 km

    once to Ogrosen and back.


    link googlemaps



  • To the Gold Spring 19.2 km

    Here we go over the Calauer Schweiz to the observation tower to the Goldquelle (somewhat underwhelming in relation to the name) via Galen back to Ranzow


    link googlemaps

Ride a bike

Contrary to popular belief, the best method of transportation in Lower Lusatia is cycling.

Here are our favorites:

  • Altdöbern Tour 28.1 km

    Once around Lake Altdöbern and back. This route even features two veritable mountain classifications. A total of 82 meters of elevation gain.


    link googlemaps


    for strava, garmin, alltrails, ...

    Download gpx

Baden

Ranzow is virtually surrounded by lakes.

About 600 meters away lies the "Ghost Lake," a former clay pit that supplied raw material to the old Muckwar brickworks.


The fully developed Gräbendorfer See is 6 km away. Easily accessible via a bike path, it offers beaches, a diving school, a sailing school, a lakeside café, campsites… and even a bit of a buzz on weekends.


The fire pond, about 100 meters away, is NOT suitable for swimming.

Arrival

by train:

From Berlin, take the RE7 train towards Senftenberg. Get off Railroad station LuckaitztalFrom there, a spectacular footpath leads past the Buchwäldchen fish ponds to Muckwar and then to Ranzow. It's just under 4 kilometers. Note: Mosquitoes are very active there in summer.

In a very relaxed 45 minutes you will be at the Ranzow Ranch.

By bike, we recommend the quiet road via Buchwäldchen and Muckwar.


by car:

A 13 towards Dresden, exit Calau

>> Calau >> Senftenberg >> Muckwar >> Ranzow >> first intersection in the village on the left.

A parking space is available.