Gemeinde Schwielowsee

What Gemeinde Schwielowsee does

Gemeinde Schwielowsee is a municipal government entity (Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts) located in the Havelland district of Brandenburg, Germany, operating a public tourism portal called Schwielowsee Tourismus. The municipality encompasses three districts—Caputh, Ferch, and Geltow—surrounding Lake Schwielowsee, a state-certified recreation area. The organization serves domestic and international leisure tourists, families, active nature enthusiasts, culture and history visitors, and travelers with accessibility needs, primarily from the Berlin-Brandenburg metropolitan region. Core services include a comprehensive tourism website (schwielowsee-tourismus.de), an on-site Tourist-Information office in Caputh, the Schwielowsee-Gästekarte (Guest Card) program, and integration with regional transportation and bicycle rental services.

The technology stack is a standard municipal web platform built on the DAMAS content management system for tourism content, with Google Maps API for location services, Google Tag Manager for analytics, and the eye-Able accessibility tool (from WebBuddy GmbH) for WCAG 2.0 Level AA and BITV 2.0 compliance. Supporting products include the Lauschtour GPS-based audio tour app, downloadable brochures and maps, and a comprehensive event calendar. The organization holds multiple certifications including i-Marke (DTV), ServiceQualität Deutschland (Stufe I-III), TourCert sustainability certification, and Bett & Bike.

The business model is primarily public-sector funded: the municipality collects a mandatory tourist tax (Kurbeitrag) from overnight visitors during the April 1 to October 31 season, in exchange for the Schwielowsee-Gästekarte which provides free public transit and discounts at partner attractions. The organization has 9 employees, is led by Mayor Kerstin Hoppe, and maintains strategic partnerships with RegioBus Potsdam-Mittelmark, nextbike, Deutsche Bahn, and TMB Tourismus-Marketing Brandenburg. Distribution occurs through direct digital channels (website), physical touchpoints (Tourist-Information office, info pillars across districts), and partner networks.

Name

Gemeinde Schwielowsee

Legal name

Gemeinde Schwielowsee

Website

https://schwielowsee-tourismus.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Gemeinde Schwielowsee is a municipal government entity in Brandenburg, Germany, operating the Schwielowsee Tourismus portal to promote leisure tourism across three districts (Caputh, Ferch, Geltow) surrounding Lake Schwielowsee, serving visitors from Berlin and Potsdam.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Destination Tourism Services

NAICS

Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Permitting, Reservations & Visitor Information Services (Passes, Booking, Visitor Centers) (THAAAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Recreation & Activity Services (Hiking, Boating, Climbing, Fishing—Guided/Authorized) (THAAAGAF), Conservation Parks & Private Nature Reserves (Visitor Operations) (THAAAFAB)

Keywords

• Destination marketing services
• Municipal tourism management
• Visitor information services
• Recreation area promotion
• Guest card programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Ferch (OT)

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tourist Tax (Kurbeitrag): The municipality collects a mandatory tourist tax (Kurbeitrag) from overnight visitors during the season (April 1 - October 31). In return, guests receive the Schwielowsee Guest Card (Gästekarte) which provides discounts on local attractions, public transportation, and recreational services.
2. Guest Card Benefits Program: While the guest card itself is provided with the Kurbeitrag, it drives revenue to local service providers (restaurants, boat rentals, museums, attractions) through the discounts offered, benefiting the local tourism ecosystem.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Gemeinde Schwielowsee operates the Schwielowsee Tourismus portal, a public destination marketing and visitor information service for the municipal recreation area around Lake Schwielowsee. Its core offering includes the official tourism website, an in-person Tourist-Information office in Caputh, the seasonal Schwielowsee-Gästekarte (guest card), curated directories of accommodations, dining, cultural attractions, and outdoor activities, plus an event calendar for the three districts of Caputh, Ferch, and Geltow.

Product overview

Schwielowsee Tourismus operates a unified tourism portal (schwielowsee-tourismus.de) that serves as the primary digital gateway for the Schwielowsee municipality. The core offering consists of the comprehensive tourism website complemented by the Tourist-Information service, the Schwielowsee-Gästekarte guest card, and the Nextbike bicycle rental system. Supporting products include audio tour experiences (Lauschtour), downloadable brochures and maps, and an event calendar. The ecosystem integrates third-party services for accessibility (Eye Able), navigation (Google Maps), public transportation (Regiobus), and bicycle rental (Nextbike) to deliver a complete visitor experience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Schwielowsee Tourismus Website Official tourism portal for the municipality of Schwielowsee, providing comprehensive information about accommodations, restaurants, events, cultural attractions, and outdoor activities across the districts of Caputh, Ferch, and Geltow. Targeted at leisure travelers planning visits to the region.
• Tourist-Information (In-Person Service) On-site tourist information service with certified staff providing personalized guest consultations, brochures, maps, and event tips at the Caputh location (Straße der Einheit 2). Open daily 10-16h during the season (April-October) and Mon-Fri 10-16h from November to March. Free to visitors.
• Schwielowsee-Gästekarte (Guest Card) Guest card provided to overnight visitors during the seasonal tourist tax period (April 1 – October 31) upon payment of the Kurbeitrag. Offers free public transportation on regional bus lines 580, 607, 610, 613, and 631, plus discounted or free entry to museums, attractions, and recreational services.
• Nextbike Bicycle Rental Self-service bike-sharing service with six rental stations across Schwielowsee (Caputh, Ferch, Geltow). Supports 24/7 rental via phone hotline, app, or SMS unlock. Pricing: €1 per 15 minutes, €15 daily rate for unlimited usage, first 30 minutes free with registration, €3 one-time registration fee.
• Lauschtour (Audio Tours) GPS-based audio tour app with 19 listening stations following Theodor Fontane's travel writings, providing anecdotes, stories, and interviews about local attractions. Distributed to visitors exploring the Schwielowsee region.
• Brochures and Maps Downloadable PDF resources including the Schwielowseebote monthly magazine, travel journals, accommodation directories, bicycle and hiking maps, water sports guides, and event calendars. Available digitally and as physical copies at the Tourist-Information office.
• Event Calendar Comprehensive event listing system with filtering by category (exhibitions, concerts, tours, sports) and location (Caputh, Ferch, Geltow, Petzow). Designed to help visitors plan their visits around regional cultural events.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• RegioBus Potsdam-MittelmarkcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal bus service connecting Schwielowsee with Potsdam and surrounding areas. Guest Card holders receive free travel on bus lines 580, 607, 610, 613, and 631, making the destination accessible without private vehicles.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• TourCert: Independent sustainability certification body for the tourism industry. Relevant as the certifier of Schwielowsee's sustainability status; not a competitor but a key standards-setting ecosystem player.

Broad incumbents

• visitBerlin: The official tourism marketing organization for Berlin. Comparable as a city-level public tourism portal but operates at vastly larger scale and competes with Schwielowsee for inbound visitors.
• Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Tourismus: State tourism board for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Comparable as a larger public-sector DMO promoting lake and nature-based tourism in a neighboring German federal state.

Direct peers

• Bad Saarow Kur und Tourismus GmbH: Tourism organization for Bad Saarow, a state-recognized spa and lake destination in Brandenburg. Directly comparable as a certified Erholungsort with Kurbeitrag and Gästekarte-style visitor programs.
• Spreewald Tourismus: Regional tourism marketing organization for the Spreewald biosphere reserve. Comparable as a nature-based, public-sector tourism destination organization with cycling, water activities, and certified quality offerings.
• Rheinsberg Tourismus: Municipal tourism organization for Rheinsberg, a comparable lake-based destination in Brandenburg with similar Schloss/cultural heritage and water recreation profile.
• Potsdam Tourismus: Municipal tourism organization for the neighboring city of Potsdam. Directly comparable as a city-level public tourism portal with visitor center, cultural attractions focus, and similar Berlin-proximity positioning.
• Werder (Havel) Tourismus: Tourism organization for Werder (Havel), an adjacent lake-side town in the same Havel lake system. Comparable lake recreation destination with similar cycling and water sports focus.

Regional players

• Havelland Tourismus: Regional tourism board for the Havelland district in which Schwielowsee sits. Closely comparable public DMO covering overlapping lake-based recreation and cultural heritage tourism in Brandenburg.
• TMB Tourismus-Marketing Brandenburg GmbH: The state-level tourism marketing organization for Brandenburg that partners with Gemeinde Schwielowsee. Highly comparable as a public DMO promoting regional tourism, but operates at state scale rather than municipal scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=SwxaGMnc56g&t=5s
• Facebookfacebook.com/deinschwielowsee
• Instagraminstagram.com/schwielowseeglueck
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gemeinde-schwielowsee

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gemeinde Schwielowsee