DISCOVER THE SPECIAL HISTORY OF SAXONY-ANHALT
That way, you get your body moving, your mind relaxing and, in a short time, take in the most diverse things you never knew existed – let alone their history. One of the most popular long-distance bicycle routes in Germany, the Elbe Cycle Route, runs through the region, through idyllic Elbe meadows, past Germany’s oldest saltwater pool in Schönebeck / Bad Salzelmen, directly through the historic city center of Magdeburg, and the oldest Romanesque brick building in northern Germany, the Jerichow Monastery, is also on the route. A varied network of bike paths invites detours to the right and left of the Elbe. Between the Elbe and the Harz beats the Magdeburg Börde, a gently rolling landscape with some of the most fertile soil in Germany.
Enrich yourself in history and culture
Historic monasteries and castles alongside modern architecture, top-class music and theater events, a wide range of activities, leisure activities and engineering structures known far beyond Germany’s state borders, such as the waterway cross, characterize the Saxony-Anhalt region’s tourist profile. Cycling through time is already an adventure in itself and guarantees a varied stay. History lovers not only get their money’s worth in the more than 1,200-year-old Ottostadt Magdeburg, but also find 28 buildings worth seeing on the cultural “Romanesque Road” and the many testimonies of technical development in central Germany. The vast and imaginatively designed parks and gardens and the charming, sometimes a bit mysterious museums tell the stories of this region. We suggest to our readers two routes that you, as a culture lover, should definitely cycle.
"We certainly know of no other place in Europe, where you can cycle along the frontier of history like this"
Tour 1 – Elbe Cycle Route // cycling along »das Blaue Band«
According to the ADFC, the Elbe-Radweg is one of the most popular cycling routes in Germany. You can start the Elbe-Radweg from Prague in the Czech Republic and then travel almost 1,000 kilometers to the mouth of the river in the North Sea. In Saxony-Anhalt, the Elbe-Radweg runs 337 kilometers eastward from Bad Schmiedeberg to just before Schnackenburg. The starting point of the Elbe Cycle Route is south of the town of Pretzsch and runs along the Düben Heide Nature Park. You then reach the Lutherstadt Wittenberg and cycle through the Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Kingdom to the Bauhaus town of Dessau. Along the Middle Elbe biosphere reserve and the mouth of the Saale at Barby you will reach Magdeburg. The route then leads to the junction of the Magdeburg waterways, where you cycle right along the Elbe under the impressive trough bridge.
The route then leads through the Altmark region with its rural charm and abundance of nature and through the former imperial residence town of Tangermünde. Past the mouth of the Havel and with a detour to the cathedral and the island town of Havelberg, the route leads through unspoiled nature. Here the Elbe cycle path leads through a section where the Elbe was an East/West German border river for decades. We know of no other place in Europe where you can cycle along such an intriguing – and now even current – history as this former East-West German border.
https://www.naturfreude-erleben.de/de/tour/fernradweg/elberadweg-linkselbisch-westlich-der-elbe-/1546899/
Tour 2 – European Cycle Route R1 // Traveling through Europe
This more than 3,500-kilometer-long bicycle route crosses Europe and is one of the most important long-distance bicycle routes on the continent. From the French Channel coast to St. Petersburg in Russia, the EuroRoute R1 crosses a total of nine European countries: France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Russia. Although the route in Saxony-Anhalt may seem relatively short at about 263 kilometers, it is peppered with varied landscapes and unique cultural monuments. Hills and descents, hills and valleys make for a varied and enjoyable ride.
Coming from Lower Saxony, the route passes the former East-West German border in the colorful Harz towns of Ilsenburg, monastery Drübeck, Wernigerode, Gernrode, on to Thale and Ballenstedt. From Meisdorf, the route heads north into the Harz foreland, to Staßfurt and the town of Bernburg on the Saale River. From Aachen, the route follows the Elbe River to the Bauhaus town of Dessau-Roßlau. From here, cyclists cycle through the garden kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz with its unique architecture and gardens, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The route continues through the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Middle Elbe with its wild banks and Europe’s largest contiguous alluvial forest. Near Oranienbaum you can visit the baroque town, castle and park ensemble of Oranienbaum. Past the giant “Iron City,” Ferropolis, Gräfenhainichen and Lake Bergwitzsee, you will reach the Luther places in Lutherstadt Wittenberg. From there you leave the bike route Saxony-Anhalt in the direction of Fläming.
https://www.naturfreude-erleben.de/de/tour/fernradweg/europaradweg-r1-d3-vom-harz-zum-flaeming-/13889405/
Magdeburger Tourismusverband
Elbe-Börde-Heide e.V.
Domplatz 1b, 39104 Magdeburg
Telefon 0391-738790,
info@elbe-boerde-heide.de
www.urlaubsregion-mittelelbe.de
