Start / Finish: Nierderfinow station / Bad Freienwalde station
Length / Duration: approximately 38 kilometers / 4 hours
Conditions of the path: asphalted, paved, cobblestones, The route is not suitable for two-track bicycles.
Arrival:
- Car + bike: B 158, B 168, L 29, car parking spaces at the Niederfinow boat lift (fees apply), e-car charging station at the Niederfinow Tourist Information
- Train + bike: Niederfinow train station RB 60, e-bike charging station at the Niederfinow Tourist Information
On a journey of discovery – let's go!
The bike tour begins in a very unusual way: on foot! You can first explore the lifting works, lock staircase and museum, then lock your bike at the tourist information office in the historic power house (there are also boxes). Or you can take a boat trip through the “Barnimer elevators” (1,5 hours).
The construction of the 36-meter-high old ship lift – for a long time the world's largest – took seven years (1927–1934). It connects Berlin with Stettin/Szczecin and the Baltic Sea.
Today, the new ship lift is impressive with its height of 54 meters and length of 133 meters. Both are vertical lifts with counterweight compensation.
Off to Oderberg!
After a refreshment in the local restaurant, the cycle path takes you to the passenger ship landing stage - here you have a phenomenal view of the two lifting devices - to the Lieper Lock (built in 1874). It is the last lock along the Finow Canal before it flows into the Oder-Havel Canal.
The listed Finow Canal, the oldest continuously navigable artificial waterway in Germany (early 17th century), has been under renovation since 1999. When passing the Kesselschleuse with its two gates, you pause: the design is characteristic of all twelve locks on the Finow Canal, which are all similarly large at around 40 × 5 meters and are operated by hand.
Now the Lower Oderbruch opens up. Rare bird species, fertile farmland and flowering meadows await you in the nature reserve. Before the drainage (first half of the 18th century) by Frederick the Great, this was the main floodplain of the Oder.
In the second half of the 18th century, swampy Oder floodplains were transformed into fertile farmland. The pumping stations are still important for flood protection in the region today. The Liepe pumping station is 1,5 km away.
After ten minutes you cross the Wriezener Alte Oder and reach Bralitz. From here you follow the signs to Oderberg. Like many villages, Bralitz changed from a fishing village to a farming village after it was drained.
In the 20th century, the region experienced an economic boom thanks to brickworks, sawmills and fishing. One of the largest timber depots in Germany was located on Lake Oderberg.
Oderberg had its own newspaper, three train stations and 15 barge builders! The Oderberg Bralitz train station, which was closed in 1997, is now a residential building.
Five minutes by bike further, at Freienwalder Straße 8, lies the ruins of the Augusta sawmill with the factory owner's villa, stables and residential buildings.
Oderberg Inland Shipping Museum
The Oderberg Inland Shipping Museum with tourist information has been run by a support association since 2008. The highlight is the open-air exhibition with the RIESA - an Elbe side-wheel steamer from the Dresden White Fleet. Now get an ice cream in the old town at the Oderberg ice cream parlor!
The backdrop with the 100-meter-high panorama of the Albrechtsberg is unique. Back on the route, a detour leads to the ruins of the Oderberg fortress "Bärenkasten". A colonist's house (late 18th century) is nestled against the fortress walls.
Interestingly, it was only after the area was drained that the fortress, which had previously been located on an island, became silted up.
Back to Bralitz
The Dornbusch Lake - a flooded clay pit belonging to the brickworks owner Dornbusch - invites you to take a swim before the most demanding stage on the dike begins.
PS: View to the south! Here you will find the “Bismarck Tower” and the summit of the “Märkischer Watzmann” at 106,2 meters above sea level. The path ends at the B 158.
On the left hand side it goes to Schiffmühle. To get to the Fontanehaus and the Neutornow pumping station, cross the main road at the fork to the right.
Cake break at the Fontanehaus!
Theodor Fontane's father and his housekeeper lived in the half-timbered house from 1855 to 1867. The writer spent several summers here as a child. Technology fans take a tour of the flood pumping station in Neutornow. Fontane fans on the way to their father's grave at the Neutornow church.
Continue on the cycle path to Bad Freienwalde!
The pretty old town and the difference in altitude of 160 meters characterize the cityscape. The spa town lies between the hilly landscape of the Barnim and the river valley of the Oderbruch.
Excursion: A visit to the palace of the Prussian Queen Friederike Luise, today the Walter Rathenau Memorial, or the spa district.
Since the 17th century, springs and mud baths have offered relaxation and healing. Cafés and restaurants in Bad Freienwalde offer a wide selection of regional specialties. A visit to the Oderland Museum is worthwhile to quench your thirst for knowledge about drainage and settlement history.
Way back:
- By train from Bad Freienwalde station to Niederfinow.
- (optional) Follow the route to the Reiherbusch bridge over the Freienwalder Landgraben and straight on towards Falkenberg Oder. After the railway crossing, turn right to Niederfinow station. Here you can finally enjoy the peace and vastness of the landscape.
The most important places along the route:
- Old and new Niederfinow ship lift
- Lieper Schleuse Lieper Schleuse
- Liepe pumping station
- Historic Bralitz Train Station
- Oderberg Inland Shipping Museum
- Bärenkasten Oderberg Fortress
- Dornbusch Lake + Clay Pits
- Fontanehaus Schiffmühle
- Neutornow pumping station
- Freienwalde Castle / Walter Rathenau Memorial
- Oderlandmuseum Bad Freienwalde
