Fontane's Moment

44,00 km
Start: Bahnhofstraße 16259 Bad Freienwalde
Destination: Bahnhofstraße 16259 Bad Freienwalde

Discover the Oderbruch through the eyes of Theodor Fontane, who spent his childhood in this unique landscape when he was young - the round trip starts in Bad Freienwalde and can be reached with the RB 60 from Eberwalde or Frankfurt (Oder). "Freienwalde - a lovely word for a lovely place," enthused Fontane in his books about Brandenburg's oldest spa town.

Length: 44 km
start/finish: Bad Freienwalde train station
More than: Schiffmühle, Altglietzen, Altreetz, Wriezen, Altranft
Arrival and departure: RB 60 to Bad Freienwalde

Course:
The tour leads from Bad Freienwalde to Schiffmühle. Fontane's father spent the last 15 years of his life here and was often visited by his son Theodor. Today, the small museum invites nature and culture lovers to linger. Just one place further on, with a wonderful view over the Oderbruch, is the village church of Neutornow, on whose grounds the grave of Louis Henri Fontane can be found.
There are many places in the Oderbruch that have the addition "Neu" in their name. These are originally royal colonist villages that were newly built in the 18th century due to the drainage of the Oderbruch by the Prussian King Frederick II (Frederick the Great). Fontane reported on this in his books "Wanderungen durch die Markt Brandenburgs". In Neulietzegöricke, the first colonist village, there is the Colonists' Coffee Shop, which offers various coffee specialties and homemade cakes and invites cyclists to take a break.
We owe the unique environment that the Oderbruch offers today to the drainage. It is not for nothing that the Oderbruch was the first cultural landscape to be awarded the European Heritage Label in 2022.
Closely accompanied by the Oder, the cycle path leads to the Europa Bridge. The former railway bridge was restored in a German-Polish joint project and has been used as a cross-border cycle and footpath since June 2022. The 860-meter-long bridge offers a wonderful view over the river area of the former train stations Neurüdnitz and Siekierki (Poland). Small, cozy seating areas with information about the structure and the flora and fauna of the Oderbruch invite you to linger.
From the Europabrücke, the tour runs along the Oderbruchbahn cycle path along idyllic meadows and pastures to Wriezen. For those interested in culture, a detour to Kunersdorf is worthwhile, as Fontane paid a lot of attention to this place in his books. The burial colonnade, the castle park, the church and the Chamisso Literature House in the Kunersdorf Musenhof form a unique village ensemble of classicism.
The tour runs past Altranft, surrounded by many fields. To end the day with some culture, a trip to the Oderbruch Museum Altranft is a good idea, which is not far from the route. In addition to collections and photographs that are on display for all the senses to experience, there are various shrines that vividly present the cultural heritage sites of the Oderbruch. Here, too, information about Fontane's childhood and travels in the Oderbruch was collected and presented. The tour then ends at the Bad Freienwalde train station, from where you can start your journey home.

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