Baruth/Mark lies in a landscape that is flatter than most people picture when they think of Germany, a sandy basin south of Berlin in which glaciers and meltwater carved wide shallow valleys at the end of the last ice age. The valley is called the Baruther Urstromtal, and it is filled with pine woods, heath and slow ponds, with the low ridge of the Fläming rising to the south-west.
The area has an odd twentieth-century history. At Wünsdorf, a short drive north, the German army and then, after 1945, the Soviet army had a vast military headquarters, hidden in the woods, and when the Soviets left in 1994 the site was abandoned. Part of it has become a town of books, with antiquarian shops in old barracks, which is as unlikely as it sounds. Baruth itself has a modest castle and a glassworks tradition, and its villages have long street layouts typical of the Brandenburg countryside.
For riding, this is quiet, open country. Roads run straight through pine forests, with long views over fields, and occasional bends where they cross streams. The surface is generally good but can be rough on minor roads, with sand on the edges, and avenues of old trees line some stretches. Wild boar and deer cross at dusk, and in summer the heat shimmers on the tarmac. In autumn, mist lies in the hollows. The area is not dramatic, but it is a calm place to spend a long day.
Practically, fuel stations and supermarkets are in Baruth and in larger towns like Zossen and Luckenwalde, and village bakeries open early. Gasthäuser serve hearty food, such as schnitzel and potato dishes, and asparagus appears in spring. Distances between services can be long, so keep the tank topped. A short stop at the lake in Teupitz is pleasant on a hot day. The Harz mountains lie far to the west, and on a long day this is a quiet place to wind down before the return to Berlin.