Kladow is a little village with the special beauty of those tourist-ridden places (even though I expect there may be hordes of day-trippers
sitting in the Biergarten on nice summer days).
Once arrived, and especially on a day like last Friday - with the sky looking as if the end of the world was coming - you might have the feeling you are right in the middle of nowhere. And forget you are still in Berlin.
The first mentions of Kladow date back to the 13th century, when it was a wends'* (western slavs) settlement.
Not much is left from those times, though.
The village church was built in the 14th century on the "Havelberg" (Havel mountain) but - according to the historical reports - its interiors reminded of the activities of Kladow's "lower side", those of fishermen and boaters.
In 1808 it was destroyed by fire and rebuilt without much attention to its distinctive character.
From the hill where the church stands, following a not too steep path that goes down, you'll walk past the Maisel's Biergarten: a very inviting spot, not so much for the food as for the view
In spite of a few raindrops, the fresh wind and some annoying wasps, we managed to have lunch outside and to lose our connection to go back, which gave us the time to take a stroll on the harbor promenade and go to the playground...("missing the boat" is not all that bad sometimes!)
By early afternoon we
were still dry but decided it was better to take the F10**, which comes
(regularly) every hour and connects Kladow to Wannsee
*Wends
**the ferry belongs to the BVG, Berlin public transportation system, and it's included in the AB ticket.
Kladow on a map
History of Kladow (in German)
History of Kladow from "Bildband über Kladow" (in German)
