Start / Finish: StationSeelow-Gusow / Wriezen train station
Length / Duration: 72 kilometers / approx. 5 hours
Road condition / route development: predominantly asphalted
Course Seelow-Gusow, Gusow-Platkow, Letschin, Neutrebbin, Altlewin, Neulewin, Altwriezen, Wriezen
Arrival / Departure:
- Arrival: with RB26 to Seelow-Gusow
- Check out: with RB60 from Wriezen
Directions
The discovery tour through the picturesque Oderbruch begins at Seelow-Gusow train station. This region not only impresses with its quiet streets and idyllic villages, but also has an eventful history.
The top of the Schinkel Tower in Letschin can be seen from far away. In 1905, the citizens erected a monument to the Old Fritz here. When it was due to be melted down in 1945, the citizens hid it! After 45 years, the five-meter-high monument was put up again.
But Letschin is not only known for its connection to the Old Fritz. The famous poet and trained pharmacist Theodor Fontane worked for two years in his father's pharmacy in Letschin and was inspired to write his crime novel "Under the Pear Tree" here. The Fontane pharmacy still exists today.
If you continue to explore the Oderbruch, you will repeatedly come across place names with the addition "Neu". They refer to the colonist villages that were built after Frederick II drained the Oderbruch. Neutrebbin, the largest colonist village, was founded in 1755 and had 131 immigrant families at the time. The classicist church in Neutrebbin was built according to plans by Friedrich Schinkel and is an impressive testimony to this era. A monument in the town commemorates the monarch, who proudly claimed that the Oderbruch was the only province he had conquered without war.
Neulietzgöricke was the first colonist settlement after the Oderbruch was drained in 1753 with 47 immigrants, and was established as a long, drawn-out street village. This long, drawn-out street village experienced a tragedy in May 1832 when it burned down completely. However, the village was rebuilt in 1840 and the church, built according to plans by Schinkel, bears witness to this new beginning. Today, Neulietzegöricke, with its lovingly restored half-timbered houses, is a listed building. A visit to the colonists' café rounds off the tour of the town.
The vastness and unique atmosphere of the Oderbruch inspires many artists who work in small studios in the villages. Particularly worth seeing is the "Theater am Rand" in Zollbrücke, a remote village that attracts art and theater lovers. For over 20 years, the actor Thomas Rühmann and the musician Tobias Morgenstern have been staging plays here that are shaped by the characteristic landscape of the Oderbruch. The name "Theater am Rand" is to be taken literally - the Oder is just a stone's throw away. Anyone following in the footsteps of the "Old Fritz" should definitely stop off at the inn of the same name in Altlewin.
Our advice: Visit the Seelow Heights Memorial. This commemorates the last battle in Germany in 1945.
Sights:
- Seelow: Seelow Heights Memorial
- Letschin: Monument to the Old Fritz
- Colonist village Neutrebbin: Church
- colonist village of Neulietzegöricke
- Zollbrücke: Oderdreich, "Theater am Rand"
Good food:
- Kunstspeicher Friedersdorf in Vierlinden
- Landhaus Treptow in Letschin
- Gasthof und Pension Zum Alten Fritz in Neutrebbin
- Colonists' Coffee in Neulewin
- dam master's office in Oderaue
- Pension am Radweg & Ristorante Juani in Wriezen
Good sleep and camping:
- Waldhotel Seelow in Vierlinden
- Strandbad & Camping Oderbruch at the Gusow quarry lake in Gusow-Platkow
Information on site:
- Tourist Information Oderbruch and Lebuser Land, Seelow
- Info-Punkt Letschin
Maps / Literature can be ordered via the Seenland Shop
- One-day and multi-day tours: Cycling in the Oder-Spree Lake District | Get to know the ADFC-certified cycling travel region of the Oder-Spree Lake District with its most beautiful places on 19 bike tours
