Bikes & Maps

Scharmützelsee (±51.9km) Scharmützelsee, a beautiful lake on an overcast summer day, including one of the nicest bike trails I have experienced. Starting in Fürstenwalde, where a tower of decorative brick fragments caught my eye, the tiles coming from a nearby factory which once produced these detailed pieces for many homes and interiors. After passing through Bad Saarow, a popular spa town, we found a spot on the lake for a short break - which would have been fine had our neighbours been less rowdy. Luckily the waterpolice came by and took care of that. Making our way around the south end of the long lake, we came upon the best stretch of the journey between Wendisch Rietz and Dachsberg, where the trail runs through a forest on what seemed like a former rail line. We took a turn uphill to the Alte Schule restaurant, a great dining spot for local Brandenburg cuisine. The rest of the tour went by quickly, and Thomas found a moment before catching our train to climb into a giant ear sculpture which was sadly not captured...

Forst - Brody (Pförten) - Forst (±37.2km) A hot, sunny, summer bike ride across the border to Poland, through the Muskau Bend Landscape Park (Park Krajobrazowy Łuk Mużakowa) to finally reach the massive rococo palace ruins in Brody. The journey started in Forst in the Lausitz region, on the border with Poland. Formerly an important textile centre, the small town is now the scene of impressive industrial buildings and classical villas both renovated and abandoned. To cross the river to Poland, one must head north along the Oder-Neiße-Radweg to the nearest border crossing, passing by other bridges which were destroyed during the war and never rebuilt.

With the smallscale border commerce of Polish gas stations and cigarette shacks behind us, Mathias and I continued on the dedicated bike trail through the forested park, the last portion of which ends in a 40 metre drop before reaching the village of Brody. Unluckily for me, a flat rear tire spoiled the descent and I was forced to dismount. On the other hand, a young group of Polish rowerzyści who were taking a quick break in the village, greeted me and my injured bike. After analysing the situation and making the relevent repair, they were on their way, saving me a 20km walk back to Forst. The village itself is a baroque ensemble, radiating from the massive palace (Schloss Pförten) built for Duke Heinrich von Brühl in 1741-49. The huge C-shaped building is slowly being prepared for reconstruction, but in its current state is both an incredibly beautiful and painfully sad sight. A wedding party in the palace grounds allowed us to sneak in with guests who were given free reign to explore the impressive interiors, albeit at our own risk. I'm not sure if this is a common occurence or coincidence, but I definitely recommmed taking a look inside if given the chance.

Before heading back to Forst, Mathias and I had enough energy to climb to the top of the viewing tower in Jeziory Wysokie, where we were rewarded with a perfect view of the surrounding area and Łuk Mużakowski.

Bernau - Bogensee - Lanke - Biesenthal - Bernau (±35.1km) In our newfound quest for abandoned places, we headed over to the former FDJ (Free German Youth) Waldhof complex from the 1950's, located next to lake Bogensee, northeast of Berlin. A sort of school retreat for socialist youth, the massive complex of buildings was built on the former estate of Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels, who received the land as a birthday gift from the city of Berlin in 1936. His residence and the school buildings are eerie reminders of the history of the city and are surprisingly still in good shape today. Although normally locked up and inaccessible, the school buildings are occasionally opened on weekends to groups of photographers who must register in advance. Hilarey snuck into the theatre building and got away with a few nice shots before being ushered back out. On our way back to the S-Bahn station in Bernau, we took the bike trail through the Biesenthal Basin Nature Reserve, where as dusk had settled, the landscape was blanketed with a thin layer of autumn fog.

Mühlenbeck-Mönchmühle - Schloss Dammsmühle (±13.4km) It was our first bike trip together. We picked a lovely autumn afternoon and headed northeast to check out an abandoned palace between two lakes. Because the sudden change from urban to rural can be so abrupt, we absorbed all of the details carefully; families of mushrooms growing in the forest, the friendliness of sheep, the sun filtering through the golden trees. (BTW: I selected Tegeler Fließ as the end destination since Google Maps does not like to properly zoom when the start and finish points are the same!)

Oranienburg - Sommerswalde - Schwante - Hennigsdorf (±31.4km) It all began as a foggy morning, only slowly becoming clearler throughout the day. The road from Oranienburg to Sommerswalde was not as quiet and remote as I had imagined; most of the time there were no bicycle lanes and we were at the mercy of attentive drivers speeding past us. But after reaching our first stop, we discovered a country chateau which was designed as a mini-Reichstag copy, although you wouldn't guess because the dome unfortunately no longer exists... Today the palace and the former service buildings are used as a meditation and yoga retreat, but we didn't encounter anyone during our exploration. After a quick picnic and tea we continued downhill through the forest and fields on a bike trail to Schwante. The palace in Schwante was still empty during our visit (it was used by a theatre company until then), but after a recent visit (December 2015), it is now the home to a beautiful restaurant serving local dishes with Brandenburg ingredients and is run by the owners of the infamous Clärchens Ballhaus in Berlin. So, definitely worth returning to. We headed back down the hilly road to the S-Bahn station in Hennigsdorf, although the RB66 will take you there directly as well.

Mcely - Chudíř - Loučeň - Mcely (±14.2km) After arriving at the magical Chateau Mcely eco-hotel and spa for a friend's wedding, and having already spent the day enjoying the beautiful palace gardens and swimming pond, I decided to do a quick ride and see the neighbouring villages and countryside. Waiting until the early evening when the heat was less intense, I borrowed one of the hotel bikes and made a triangle westwards to Loučeň, where there is another chateau, but not as magical. Google Maps does not like generating bicycle routes for the Czech countryside, so I went with the walking option... Some friendly Czech people helped me along the way after making a wrong turn, and when I returned the bicylce to the hotel I realized I had taken the purple women's bike in all of my excitement and anticipation (and colour blindness). I will never forget Chateau Mcely, it was one of the most delightful experiences in my life.