Twin cycle path - discover the best of Upper Lusatia on the Neisse and Spree rivers

The Oder-Neisse Cycle Route and the Speer Cycle Route, equally enchanting and with different temperaments - like fraternal twins - are the region's best-known cycle routes along the Spree and Neisse rivers. Downstream, the paths cross the most beautiful areas and towns of Upper Lusatia and then greet the expansive river landscapes of Brandenburg.

And the best thing is that the twins can be perfectly combined into a great cycle tour with the Froschradweg in the north and the Mittellandroute in the south.

At the beginning of May 2021, Mario Schön (Schoenie's blog) set off on . The twin cycle path took him past numerous highlights of Upper Lusatia and quaint half-timbered houses. The rustling pine forests were a constant invitation to slow down. He has written a detailed blog post about this tour at   .

To the article by Mario Schön

Landskron Brau-Manufaktur, a gem that survived two world wars and 40 years of East Germany. Today, Landskron is Germany's largest brewery and the most important beer brand, brewing naturally matured master beers in a high-quality range of varieties using the art of craft brewing. Once in Görlitz, you should not miss out on a guided tour of the Landskron Kulturbrauerei, which can be perfectly integrated into the round trip on the day of arrival or on the last day.

If you have time, stay a little longer and review your experiences in the visitor center.

Click here to go directly to the guided tour of the Landskron Kulturbrauerei

The charming and playful twin "Oder-Neisse Cycle Route" winds its way from the breathtaking city of Görlitz, aka Görliwood, to the source of the Neisse. Germany's easternmost city hides gems from 800 years of European architectural history. Along the route at the German-Polish border to the Zittau Mountains Nature Park, the crown of the country rises on the horizon, the refreshing Berzdorfer See and the venerable St. Marienthal Monastery await you before you reach the fasting cloth town of Zittau.

Here you can find information about the European City of Görlitz/Zgorzelec  
Here you can find information about the Zittauer Gebirge Nature Park

 From Zittau, the challenging stage offers the Mittelland route as a link to the Spree cycle path, the other twin of the circular cycle tour, . The cycle route offers a pleasant alternation of nature and culture along the most beautiful half-timbered houses in Upper Lusatia. Once you arrive at Kottmar, it is worth cycling up to the summit : the first of the three Spree springs awaits you here. The other two follow, they are located in Neugersdorf and Ebersbach. The Faktorenhof in Eibau is located directly below the Spree spring mountain . It is one of the most valuable half-timbered houses in Upper Lusatia.

You can find more information about the Upper Lusatian Highlands here 

If you've had enough of cycling, you can also travel comfortably from Zittau or Eibau on the Trilex train from Zittau or Eibau.

The twin "Spree Cycle Route" now continues through the Upper Lusatian Uplands to the foot of the over one-thousand-year-old "City of Towers" of Bautzen, with its 15 towers to be discovered .   Downstream, the route leads through the species-rich Land of a Thousand Ponds in the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve  Upper Lusatian Heath and Pond Landscape. Nature lovers will love this unique landscape. For those interested in Sorbian culture, it is worth taking a detour to the "Sorbian Impressions" cycle path, which follows or crosses the course of the twin cycle path in places. The section of the Spree Cycle Route ends in the largest man-made lake landscape, the Lusatian Lakeland.

Here you can find experiences in Bautzen and the Upper Lusatian Heath and Pond Landscape 

The tour now continues eastwards on the frog cycle path , which is characterized by unmistakable nature. In the immediate vicinity is the Nochten boulder park, which is always worth a visit. The route continues past the beautiful Rhododendron Park Kromlau, before ending in the famous  UNESCO World Heritage Site Muskauer Park meets the Oder-Neisse cycle path again.

Here you will find experiences in Neisseland

Back on the other twin, the Oder-Neisse Cycle Route, the stage leads along wildly romantic nature and refreshingly rustling pine forests back to Görlitz. In between, it is worth visiting the every  Secret World of Turisede. Here you can spend the night in a tree house at - a real adventure for young and old. The circular cycle tour ends in Görlitz. If you still have energy left in your legs, you can take a closer look at the city on a guided tour or explore 900 years of Silesian history in the Silesian Museum in the Silesian Museum.

Experience cultural highlights in the fresh air - this will be possible from February 2023 with the city of Bautzen's new digital audio guide. What makes it unique is that the stories are authentically narrated by people from the region. Appropriate images for each station show the often small details. The Smart Guide app, which is available to download free of charge from the App Store and Google Play Store, allows you to start your individual tour straight away. The route can be downloaded in advance to save your own data volume.

Download the digital city tour of Bautzen directly here

Today, the Heinke & Sohn Hammermühle Bautzen industrial monument is simultaneously a grinding, mustard and oil mill and is still driven by the water power of the River Spree, just as it was when it was founded. The mill with its more than 5 floors is a living testimony to a centuries-old craft and the industrial development of the town of Bautzen. Typical of the mill's history is that its operation has changed again and again over the decades. Today, cold-pressed organic oils and the exclusively handmade mustard varieties are produced.

The Hammermühle Bautzen and its historic technology can be experienced up close, for example by seeing how the original grinding technology fills the building with life or through an on-site tasting of freshly pressed vegetable oils. Guided tours can be requested, for example, with the technology running, experiencing mustard and oil production and guided tours for all age groups. Visitors can also expect delicious and regional surprises in the mill store during the Easter period.

Easter flyer of the Hammermühle with delicacies as PDF

to the Hammermühle Bautzen website

The central visitor and information center of the UNSECO biosphere reserve "Oberlausitzer Heide- und Teichlandschaft".

A multimedia exhibition offers a variety of insights into the centuries-old tradition of pond farming and its importance for animals and plants in the area. At the end of the tour, a giant aquarium with native fish allows visitors to take a look beneath the surface of the water.

Other offers in and around the house: tourist information with store and snack bar, special exhibitions, water adventure area to discover and play, access to the Guttau Ponds & Olba Lake nature trail.

wto the website House of a Thousand Ponds

A beautiful fantasy landscape created with 7,000 boulders.

Experience the incredible effect achieved with large boulders in combination with perennials, shrubs and water. Flowering highlights can be seen at any time of year.

The Little Scandinavia erratic boulder nature trail provides vivid information about the origins and history of the countless erratic boulders and on the "Path of the Senses" you can - in the truest sense of the word - tread geological history with your feet.

to the Nochten boulder park website