Four days, three seasons, two bikes, one destination - our cycle tour on the Oder-Neisse Cycle Route
Our employee Isabel Wehner travelled along the Oder and Neisse rivers at the end of April and cycled the section from Zittau to Frankfurt/Oder on the Oder-Neisse cycle path for you. She tested newly built sections of the route and experienced a lot. Find out yourself and read our colleague's travel report:
She knows the Oder-Neisse cycle path inside out and will be happy to advise you!
Our first stop is the monastery of St Marienthal in Ostritz, the oldest nunnery of the Cistercian order in Germany.
Friday: Zittau – Görlitz (approx. 43 km)
In the morning, we take the train from Dresden to Zittau, where our first cycling section begins. Once we have saddled up our bikes (in colloquial German, we refer to them as "Drahtesel" - literally "wire donkeys"), we set off. A short circular tour through the town of fasting cloths takes us past the Johanneum, St John's Church, the market square and the "Zum Heiligen Kreuz" church.
The first few kilometres take us along a cycle path alongside the road to the next villages. In Hirschfelde, small half-timbered houses with beautifully landscaped front gardens adorn the path. Directly along the Neisse, black, red and yellow border posts on one side of the river and white and red on the other mark the border between Germany and Poland. Our first stop is the St. Marienthal monastery in Ostritz, the oldest nunnery of the Cistercian order in Germany, which offers rooms for celebration, reflection and meetings as well as overnight accommodation.
The sun is shining and warm, so a little "ice cream paradise" along the way in Leuba is just what we need. We soon reach the town of Görlitz. In Germany's easternmost city, we cycle enthusiastically through the old town centre. First we cross the Upper and Lower Markets with their beautifully restored houses and then continue across St Mary's Square with its thick tower to our accommodation in the centre.
Saturday: Görlitz - Bad Muskau (approx. 68 km)
After a rich breakfast, we start our second section with a combination of sun and clouds. We make our way through blossoming rapeseed fields to the small village of Ludwigsdorf. In this village, the art mill and manor house invite us to linger a while. The area is very agriculturally characterised. Fields, wide meadows and farms lie along our route. In addition to flocks of sheep, cows, horses and chickens, we even see a camel. However, the latter is one of the attractions at the Kulturinsel Einsiedel adventure leisure park.
Today we only see the Neisse after about 20 kilometres. The cycle path continues through the town of Rothenburg past the aviation museum and shooting range, which we only hear. When we arrive in Bad Muskau in the late afternoon, it finally starts to rain. Equipped with rain gear, however, we don't miss out on a walk through the Fürst Pückler Park.
After a filling breakfast, we start our second section with a combination of sun and clouds.
Equipped with rain gear we don't miss out on a walk through the Fürst Pückler Park.
Sunday: Bad Muskau – Guben (approx. 68 km)
Before we start today's section, we visit the market in Bad Muskau. We cycle out of the town again into the headwind on the dyke to Forst. There we meet some very sporty Brandenburgers who are taking part in the annual "Run and Bike" sports competition. They run 30 kilometres around Forst in pairs, with one of them running and one cycling, and they can change as often as they like along the route. As we cycle the same route on our bikes on the dyke, we are often accused of cheating.
Having arrived in Forst, we take a look at the marvellous rose garden from the outside. Unfortunately, not many flowers are in bloom yet, let alone the multitude of 800 rose varieties. The weather becomes more and more varied: hail, snowflakes, sun or wind from all directions. In Guben, we make a detour to the Polish district of Gubin, where we enjoy a delicious meal not far from the border.
Monday: Guben – Frankfurt/Oder (approx. 67 km)
The first look out of the window in the morning surprises us - it's snowing! But the snow doesn't stick, fortunately we don't need the snow chains. Well nourished, we can start the last cycling section. The wind is in our favour on the first section - a tailwind at last. At Ratzdorf, we finally say goodbye to the Neisse, which flows into the Oder here. A quick photo stop and then on to Neuzelle. The officially recognised health resort is best known for its Cistercian monastery with the baroque Catholic church of St. Mary from the 15th century, which really impresses us. The detour is worthwhile.
After a few more kilometres along the Oder, where storks, herons, swans and other birds can be seen in the quiet arms of the river and its marshes, we pass the "planned town" of Eisenhüttenstadt. In Aurith, we take a short energy break and let the rain clouds pass. We now cycle further and further on or alongside the dyke until we see the sign for Frankfurt/Oder. Unfortunately, we don't have the opportunity to take a good look at the university town with its impressive monuments of North German brick Gothic architecture, as we are travelling back home from here in the late afternoon. We'll save the sightseeing for the next cycle tour, when we continue towards the Baltic Sea and the island of Usedom.
... the Oder-Neisse cycle path is idyllic. A paradise for storks, herons, swans and other birds.
