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In the footsteps of the Old Fritz
bike tour through the Oderbruch
The unique landscape of the Oderbruch has not been designated a European cultural heritage site for nothing. Find out more about the background to its creation on the cycle tour “In the footsteps of the Old Fritz” from Seelow to Wriezen.
We meet in Seelow with our bikes. Directly opposite the train station is the Seelow Heights memorial, which provides information about the battle on German soil in World War II. The elevation gives us a wide view over the Oderbruch, almost as far as Poland. The tour of the museum and the grounds made me look at the Oderbruch region with different eyes than before. Today's B1 between Poland and Berlin, which I use every day to get to work, was used as an access to Berlin by the last major Soviet offensive. The museum is very auditory and large information boards illustrate the events around the year 1945. After the museum tour, we pick up a picnic bag from the Seelow tourist information office to eat our picnic on the Oder slopes not far from Seelow. Our bag is lovingly filled with various rolls, spreads and snacks, so that we continue our bike tour to the next stop in Letschin, well fed.
Old Fritz's father commissioned his son on his deathbed to take care of the Oderbruch and solve the problem of the swamp area at the time. For this reason, Old Fritz had the Oderbruch drained by changing its course and thus made the area usable for agriculture. Today the Oder flows as we know it and the original course is known as the Old Oder. This drainage resulted in an interesting small landscape that was recognized as a European cultural heritage site in 2022. Various cultural heritage sites within the region make the Oderbruch come alive.
We are also in different places during our bike tour cultural heritage sites for a visit. Our next stop is the Letschin local history room. After we have passed the monument of the Old Fritz in Letschin, we look at various exhibits inside the beautiful half-timbered house that have been brought together to form a permanent exhibition. There are special topics on display, which show, among other things, the relationship between the young Theodor Fontane and his parents, who ran a small pharmacy in Letschin.
We then drive through idyllic little villages until we stop at the Gasthof zum Alten Fritz in Altlewin. Over a delicious dinner in the restaurant, the owner of the guesthouse tells us how the atmosphere came about. The complex was originally a fishing complex, but the owners had to find a new job when the area was drained and so switched to farming. Over the years, the stables have been renovated, so that next to the restaurant there are now lovingly designed and comfortable rooms in which I sleep the night as if on a carpet of clouds.
After a lovingly prepared and delicious breakfast, we continue our bike tour. From Altlewin we reach the colonist village of Neubarnim, where the longest avenue of linden trees in all of Brandenburg is located. Here I am also delighted to discover a nesting stork. Our next stop is in "Lietze", the oldest colonist village in the Oderbruch. The drainage of the Oderbruch resulted in around 40 new villages, most of which can now be recognized by the addition of "Neu" to their names. In Neulietzegöricke, most of the half-timbered houses are listed buildings and on a tour of the village we learn all sorts of things about the lives of the colonists. The village is picturesquely beautiful and the half-timbered houses with their gardens are lovingly maintained, so we spend several hours here on the tour. In the center of the village is the Colonist Café, which invites travelers to take a break and relax with coffee and cake.
Afterwards we want to make a detour to the Oder and finally reach the river at Zollbrücke, about which I have learned a lot of new things over the last two days. The town of Zollbrücke has become famous thanks to the Theater am Rand. In 1998 there was only a tiny living room stage and to this day the theater continues to grow every year and has already provided a stage for a large number of artists. The unique structure and the performances and events that take place there are definitely worth a visit.
Finally, along the Oder on the Oder-Neisse cycle path, we visit the newly opened Europa Bridge between Neurüdnitz and Siekierki. The long bridge was renovated last year and invites you to take a trip to the other country on both sides. From the observation tower on the Polish side, I can admire the Oder and the wonderful landscape.
From the bridge we start our way back and drive to Wriezen past picturesque rapeseed fields, meadows and trees, which make me feel sentimental that our tour is almost over. But let me tell you one thing, dear Oderbruch: I'll be back!
More information about the bike tour
Link to Komoot