* 100 km northeast of Hamburg in the picturesque region of Holstein Switzerland is the small town of Oitin, where a great European history was written. It lies on the shore of Bolshoy Oitinsky Lake, on the island of which the Slavic settlement of Utin was formed in the 8th century. The Russian Empress Catherine the Great, then Princess Sofia Augusta Frederica of Anhalt—Zerbsky, spent her childhood in the palace of this city. Her mother was an Oitin woman and was born in this very palace. There, Princess Sofia Augusta was introduced to her future husband, Prince Carl Peter Ulrich of Holstein—Gottorp, grandson of Peter I, who was destined to become Russian Tsar Peter III. Portraits of the Russian royal family and a painting painted by Catherine the Great can be seen in the Oitinsky Palace. The great German composer Carl Maria von Weber, the founder of German romantic opera, was born in the city of Oitin. An open-air opera festival is held every year in his honor in the palace park. Episodes of the Hollywood movie "Cabaret" starring Liza Minnelli were filmed at the Oitinsky Palace in 1972. The city of Oitin is called northern Weimar, because many great German poets, philosophers and artists lived and worked here. During the walking tour, we will walk around the old town and get acquainted with its history, architecture and famous inhabitants. We will visit the Oitinsky Palace and get in touch with the history of not only Germany, but also Russia. You can finish your walk around the city at the private Oitinsky brewery and refresh yourself with dishes of hearty German cuisine, washed down with fresh local beer, which has been brewed here according to the old tradition since the 17th century.