Nine times Oder and Europe in the heart: Cycle tour through the Oderbruch to Poland

This cycle tour is a fascinating journey to discover the different faces of the Oder. It leads along historic railway lines and quiet dykes, through the vast polder landscape of the Oderbruch and to the gentle slopes of the Oder in Poland. The route crosses the river's waterways nine times – sometimes the mighty border river of today, sometimes its old, almost forgotten arms that tell of once untamed nature. The tour itself becomes a small journey into the heart of Europe when borders are symbolically overcome on the Europe Bridge and with the ‘Ohne Grenzen’ (Without Borders) ferry.

Start / finish: Wriezen train station 

Length / duration: 51 kilometers / approx. 3 - 3.5 hrs.

Character: A water-rich, moderate tour through the fascinating cultural landscape of the Oderbruch and along the Oder. The route follows quiet country roads and well-developed cycle paths. 

Route: Wriezen, Europabrücke, Siekierki, Stare Łysogórki, Gozdowice, Güstebieser Loose, Zollbrücke, Neulietzegöricke, Altwriezen, Wriezen

Extra tip: In Neulietzegöricke, park your bike and walk the circular hiking trail ‘across the fields from village to village’. On the way between Neulietzegöricke and Altwustrow, 10 information boards tell you about the special features of the natural environment and the two cultural heritage villages.

Arrival and departure:

public transport: RE4 from Berlin Hbf. to Ebers-walde, then RB60 to Wriezen. 

The most beautiful border crossing: the Europabrücke

Where trains once crossed the Oder, today you can cross the great river by bike. The Europabrücke symbolises the overcoming of borders. Information boards tell its story and seating areas invite visitors to listen to the concert of frogs and herons in the floodplain. As you ride across the almost 900-metre-long structure, the Oder flows leisurely but steadily beneath you. The viewing platform offers a perfect view of the entire Oder lowlands.

The Oderbruch and its waterways

The tour starts in Wriezen, a small town closely linked to the history of the Oder. Before it was drained, Wriezen was located directly on the fish-rich river and was an important trading centre – the pike in the town's coat of arms still reminds us of the pike fishermen's guild. Today, the town centre is 11 km away from the river. In Hafenstraße, an old lime kiln, a factory owner's villa and the harbour warehouse bear witness to the last days of the harbour area. The landscape is criss-crossed by several waterways: the new Oder Canal and the old river branches, the ‘Alte Oder’ (Old Oder). Two of these old branches are crossed right at the start, after which the route runs straight as an arrow along the Oderbruchbahn cycle path, which follows a former railway line. An old tobacco barn is a reminder of the forgotten tradition of tobacco cultivation in the Oderbruch.

In the landscape conservation park along the Polish slopes of the Oder

The route continues south on the Zielona Odra (Green Oder) cycle path. Along the slopes of the Oder on the Polish side, there are many magnificent views. From the small hill near Stare Łysogórki, there is a wide view over the dyke foreland. In this area of the Cedyński Nature Park, the former inland delta with its swamps and floodplain forests appears particularly wild. With a bit of luck, you may spot silver and grey herons, white-tailed eagles and numerous other water birds. A large military cemetery commemorates the area's turbulent history.

Small ferry with a big name

In Gozdowice, too, a small local history museum with artefacts from the war years commemorates the region's turbulent past. Powered by two paddle wheels, the small ferry ‘Bez Granic’ (‘without borders’) crosses the great river. The current hourly ferry times from April to October can be found online at the Barnim-Oderbruch office. On the other side, Viadrus welcomes you.

Tip:  Be sure to make a short detour to the memorial wall at a former bunker site. From the hill 40 metres above the Oder, you can enjoy a magnificent view: the great river, the Oder-Spree lake district – time to take a deep breath!

In the Mittlere Oderniederung bird sanctuary

The route crosses the Güstebieser Alte Oder and leads through the vast landscape of the Mittlere Oderniederung bird sanctuary. Sheep graze on the flower-covered flood embankment, while in spring and late summer thousands of grey geese and bean geese dominate the meadows and the airspace – a spectacular natural spectacle. A short section of the Oder-Neisse Cycle Route leads to Zollbrücke. This is the perfect place to take a break and enjoy some culinary delights before taking a look at the dyke gap.

End of the tour in the colonist village and along the Alte Oder

In the oldest colonist village of Neulietzegöricke, you can still clearly see what the Oderbruch villages once looked like. Homemade cake awaits you in the colonists' café. The last few kilometres run along the Old Oder back to Wriezen.

Sights: 

• Wriezen: Old harbour
• Near Wriezen: Old tobacco barn
• Near Neurüdnitz: Europabrücke bridge
• Stare Łysogórki: Stare Łysogórki Museum
• Between Stare Łysogórk and Gozdowice: Viewpoint at the old bunker
• Gozdowice: Gozdowice Museum
• Near Gozdowice (German side of the Oder): ‘Bez Granic – Without Borders’ ferry, river god Viadrus
• Customs bridge: Customs bridge dyke gap
• Neulietzgöricke: Neulietzegöricke colonist village

Refreshment tips: 

• Europabrücke: Oderglück Café (seasonal)
• Stare Łysogórki: B&B 
• Zollbrücke: Restaurant Dammmeisterei, Ziegenhof Zollbrücke, Zollbrücke with idyllic garden
• Neulietzegöricke: Kolonisten-Kaffee
• Wriezen: Ristorante Due Amici

Maps/literature:

• Cycling brochure "Dein Rad. Deine Auszeit. Dein Flow.", Online-Shop Seenland Oder-Spree (available in German and Polish)