The Oder-Neisse Cycle Tour

Stroll through the small town in the far south east of Saxonia with the beautiful market place where the town hall, built by Schinkel, is located. You also shouldn't miss the chance to see the famous Great Zittau Lenten Cloth. Enjoy the flair of this once Bohemian town, which today is located directly on the German-Czech border and where narrow gauge railways wait to take you to the surrounding spa towns. Booked rental bikes will be available at the hotel.

The first stretch of the journey takes you via Hirschfelde, where a former power station was converted into a museum, to Marienthal. An impressive Baroque convent of Cistercian nuns is located here. It is not only the oldest German convent of this order, but was also used continuously. Today´s destination Görlitz was not destroyed in the war and has many important buildings from the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Art Nouveau.

Continuing along the river, you will pass the cultural island of Einsiedel near Zentendorf, where you can see a remarkable tree house hotel. Incidentally, you are not only in Upper Lusatia, but also in former Silesia, which extended westwards across the Neisse. Prince Pückler lived in Muskau, where he created a unique park and gave his name to the famous ice cream.

After breakfast, you cycle further along the river. Via the Sorbian villages of Zelz and Bademeusel, you reach Forst, the town of roses. In addition to impressive cloth factories, a textile museum and numerous churches, the reddish water tower is the town's landmark. The cycle route then takes you past lakes and through extensive forests and typical heathland to the twin town of Guben / Gubin.

If you don't have a sensitive stomach, you can immerse yourself in the world of anatomy after breakfast. Among other things, the Plastinarium houses the famous traveling exhibition Körperwelten. Continuing on your bike today, you follow the Oder, which you meet shortly after Guben and which takes you to the baroque monastery of Neuzelle. Here you can treat yourself to a black beer brewed in the Cistercian tradition. You reach Frankfurt (Oder) via Eisenhüttenstadt.

The birthplace of the famous playwright Heinrich von Kleist was once an important trading and Hanseatic city. Impressive buildings such as the town hall and St. Mary's Church still bear witness to its former wealth. Today's stage takes you through the Oderbruch, a cultural landscape that was created in the 18th century by river straightening, diking and draining.

Where yesterday it was rural, today it is almost lonely in the Lower Oder Valley Nature Park, home to many rare plants and animals. The river meadow landscape is a resting place for large flocks of migratory birds. You pass Stolpe Castle, which has one of the most massive fortified towers in Germany, the Grützpott. You then reach Schwedt. Here you will find one of the largest remaining Jewish cemeteries in Brandenburg.

After breakfast you will cycle to Gartz, which still has many medieval buildings. Shortly afterwards you will not cycle along the river Oder, but inland through forests and fields. The many place names ending on -ow indicate Slavic settlements. Today´s destination Löcknitz is already located in Western Pomerania, which is charming, despite the literal translation of its name (slough).

Small lakes and heath landscapes characterize your route today, which takes you through Western Pomerania to the coast of the Szczecin Lagoon. The lagoon used to be a glacial lake. Today it is approximately 4 metres deep and very rich in fish. At the mouth of the little river Uecker, the former fishing village Ueckermünde is located. It was not damaged in the war and was lovingly restored.

First you cycle to Kamp, from where you take the ferry to Karnin on the Island of Usedom. Here you have a wonderful view over the lagoon and Baltic Sea from Golm, the highest point on the island at 69 m above sea level. Relax in one of the imperial spas and admire the spa architecture on the sunny island. Then cycle through sparse forests and along the wide Baltic Sea beach to your overnight accommodation.

After breakfast your Oder-Neisse cycle tour ends. If you wish we can extend your stay on the Island of Usedom.