Late riser highlights:
- Quiet and far: glide along the former railway lines and hardly meet anyone
- Legal petty theft: Apple trees, cherry trees, raspberry bushes, wild herbs and thousands of cherry plums are waiting to be admired in bloom and tasted in summer and autumn
- Idyllic: linger in the garden and Steinhöfel Castle
Start: Müncheberg train station
Objective: Bhf. Fürstenwalde
Length: 38 km / approx. 2,5 - 3 hours
Public transport: RB26 from Ostkreuz / Lichtenberg to Müncheberg station
Departure public transport: RE 1 from Fürstenwalde / Spree
Directions:
From Müncheberg train station, it is not far to the natural paradise. Keep left and then turn right into Dahmsdorfer Straße, whereupon you arrive directly at the Großer Schlagenthinsee.
Start in Müncheberg
The regional train takes participants quickly out of the city and to the pretty Müncheberg train station. You are on the former Royal Prussian Eastern Railway, as the information boards at the station tell you. Most day-trippers set off from here towards Buckow and Märkische Schweiz. On this tour, however, you decide to go against the flow and follow the signs with the green railway line and blue ribbon. The old Oderbruchbahn began operating over 100 years ago. It trundled through the countryside until the mid-90s, last seen here in Müncheberg in 1964. Today, one of the most beautiful cycle paths east of Berlin runs along the old route.
Before heading into the town centre, you can enjoy a view of the beautiful Schlagenthinsee. Then you cycle past the Leibniz Centre for
Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) e. V.
Be sure to visit the old brick fortifications and the old city wall with its two city gates. You can climb the tower of the mighty parish church and get an overview of the town and the gently rolling hills that you follow to the south.
Far away from cars and noise
The solitary cycle path, surrounded by old linden trees, chestnuts and protective hedges, leads across the fields to a manor and village complex worth seeing. Old agricultural equipment is on display around the Behlendorfer Schinkelhof. The manor with its octagonal floor plan was designed around 1800 based on English models. The fieldstone look perfectly underlines the rural ambience.
At the end of the village, the idyllic Heinersdorfer Lake opens up. You should linger here for a moment to enjoy the beautiful view. Even in midsummer, there is hardly anything going on at the small beach. The cycle path meanders along the shore. A footbridge that is almost invisible in the reeds calls out quietly for Instagram and a photo. There are also a few apple trees and many blackberries right along the path.
In the small town of Heinersdorf, the “Alte Schmiede” inn welcomes you and is a great place to take a break. When the weather is sunny, you can enjoy homemade (apple) cake and homemade ice cream on the terrace. The nearby funny stork tower with mailbox also takes orders and requests. The nest is usually occupied by storks from March to August.
Old varieties
The route continues along the beautiful cycle path and the Rauen mountains greet you in the distance. At harvest time, the brightly colored cherry plums light up along the side of the path, and you can of course try them. The trees can hardly hold the many fruits and the low-hanging branches force you to meander here and there. Would you like even more fruit? Then a detour to Tempelberg, about 4 km away, is recommended, where the oldest apple tree avenue in Brandenburg is located on a sandy path to the west of the town. Over the past 200 years, 80 different and now particularly old apple varieties have been planted there, which now defy the weather, gnarled and crooked.
The Oderbruch Railway Cycle Route splits in Hasenfelde. The main axis continues to the northeast and to Wriezen, but cyclists follow the route to Fürstenwalde. Elaborately designed information boards tell of the former railway, which was the lifeblood of the region for more than half a century and connected the small and large towns of the Oderbruch with the metropolis of Berlin.
Stylish in Steinhöfel
When you arrive in Steinhöfel, you should definitely plan a stop at the castle. With its English-style park, it is one of the most beautiful aristocratic residences in the Margraviate of Brandenburg. The extensive park offers beautiful sightlines and views of meadows, old trees and the pond. Take a break on the beautiful bench under the large oak tree or explore the Steinhöfel garden. This is looked after by an association and is open from May to October. Apple trees with old varieties are lovingly preserved here. Of course, you can buy fresh apple pie here in season. The regional varieties can be sampled either in the castle café or in the old Steinhöfel office building with a small gallery.
In the cathedral city of Fürstenwalde
The last section of the late riser tour is once again idyllic. The bikes roll almost as if they were on their own on the good surface. The trees that line the bike path make the ride in the partial shade pleasant, especially in summer. Sometimes you get the feeling you are riding through a green tunnel. Here, too, you will find plenty of plum and mirabelle bushes, which are ripe for harvesting from August to September.
Finally, you reach the cathedral city of Fürstenwalde. Before you get on the RE1, it is worth taking a short trip to the medieval old town and the Spreeuferpark. The Fürstenwalde Cathedral of St. Mary, with its 68 m high tower, is visible from afar and is the city's landmark. Around the imposing building, you can end the day and the tour in a relaxed manner in one of the cafés and restaurants.
Plan your late-riser tour on the Oderbruchbahn cycle path now!
Public transport tip:
- We recommend doing the tour in the direction described. It is also possible to do it the other way round, but the capacity of the Regionalbahn 60 for taking bicycles is limited and bottlenecks may occur.
- Especially on weekends, the trains in Brandenburg's regional transport network are often quite full of bicycles in the afternoons and evenings. Please also note the tips on taking bicycles with you from the Berlin-Brandenburg transport association.
- The exact locations of the freely accessible fruit trees can be found on mundraub.org
- Steinhöfel: Shopping or a small snack at the "Landmarkt"
- Heinersdorf: Alte Schmiede
- Fürstenwalde: Zunfthaus 383, beer tasting in the brewery, Café Herrlicher, Cafe Schukurama, Hanny´s, Castello
