Status: 04/17/2023 2:42 p.m
The natural route runs 37 kilometers through different landscapes on both sides of the Elbe – from Gartow in Wendland to Lenzen in Brandenburg and back.
The tour in the border triangle of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt is largely flat and can also be easily managed as a day tour by families with children. Twice the route takes a ferry across the Elbe. The round trip as a daily stage can also be an interesting change for cyclists who are traveling on the Elbe Cycle Path. With a bit of luck you will see both the Elbe beaver and the white-tailed eagle on the tour – both animals have since become extinct in the region or are threatened with extinction.
Gartow: baroque palace and beaver nature trail by the lake
To see two beavers – here two fighting animals – you have to be very lucky. Beavers are very shy.
A good starting point for the tour is Gartow in eastern Wendland on the Lower Saxony side of the Elbe. The pretty little town is known for the baroque castle from the beginning of the 18th century and the baroque St. George’s Church. The beautiful lake is particularly attractive. Several beavers live there, a special nature trail leads along the shore and provides information about the shy animals. The idyllic Nemitzer Heide stretches south of Gartow.
From Gartow to Höhbeck and across the Elbe
From Gartow, head north first to the Höhbeck ridge. There it is worth making a detour to the lookout tower at the top of the hill. However, the cycle path leads flat along the Höhbeck and further in the direction of the Elbe to the Elbe ferry in Pevestorf. There you cross the Elbe to Lenzen. The town in the north-western tip of Brandenburg is well worth a visit with its pretty half-timbered houses and old church. In the Lenz Castle is a Nature Conservation Visitor Center (NABU) that provides information about the Brandenburg Elbtalaue.
Schnackenburg: Lower Saxony’s smallest town
The cycle path continues in an easterly direction through the Elbe lowlands until, at Lütkenwisch, you cross the river again by ferry to Schnackenburg on the Lower Saxony side. As the smallest town in Lower Saxony, Schnackenburg was surrounded on three sides by the GDR border at the time of the division of Germany. The Frontier Museum at the port informed about this time. The market square and the St. Nikolai Church are also worth seeing. From the dyke plateau north-west of the village there is a beautiful view over the Elbe landscape.
GDR border tower marks the former zone border
It continues in a southerly direction and across the state border to Saxony-Anhalt. There you follow the path up to the level of the small town of Aulosen and then turn west again towards Bömenzien. An old GDR border tower reminds of the former zone border. Shortly thereafter, the starting point in Gartow is reached again.
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