Wandlitz was first mentioned as
Slavic Vandlice in a 1242 deed, when the
Margraves of Brandenburg John I and Otto III sold it to the
Lehnin Abbey. The word means
men who live at the water. Situated on the
Barnim plateau among woods and lakes it became a popular recreation area especially in the 20th century. Since 1901 the
Heidekrautbahn railway line links Wandlitz with Berlin. From 1815 to 1945, Wandlitz was part of the
Prussian Province of Brandenburg, from 1945 to 1952 of the State of
Brandenburg, from 1952 to 1990 of the
East German Bezirk Frankfurt and since 1990 again of Brandenburg. ; Development The name Wandlitz was and is also often used as a synonym for the nearby "
Waldsiedlung" compound, where the highest
East German functionaries lived removed from the general population. But this settlement is a part of the town
Bernau. Shortly after World War II, the village was home to an orphanage of children from Berlin. The orphanage, run by nuns, later became a holiday spot for visiting high-ranking Communist party members. The children of the small orphanage were frowned upon as second-class citizens by villagers, and often went hungry. ==Pictures from Towns and Villages in Gemeinde Wandlitz==