Autumn holiday tip: family cycling in the Lusatian Lakeland
Mammoths, wolves, wizards, vanished villages: the Lusatian Lakeland tells many stories. True and fantastic, beautiful and tragic. On day cycling tours of 30 to 45 kilometres, families can immerse themselves in the multifaceted history and lush legends of Lusatia. Along the way, excursion destinations offer a varied autumn holiday programme.Time Leap Route between Euloer Bruch and Klinger See
It was a sensational find: during excavations between Cottbus and Forst, scientists discovered an almost complete mammoth skeleton at the beginning of the 20th century. Today, the "Zeitsprung" museum with a replica of the impressive bone structure is located at the site of the find in Klinge. Families can also discover the figures of a prehistoric woolly rhinoceros and a giant deer on an adventure trail here. A viewing platform offers a panoramic view of the future Klingen Lake, which is currently being flooded.
The route to the museum is an insider's tip tour through the east of the Lusatian Lakeland. The 31-kilometre "Zeitsprung Route" leads from Forst first through the Euloer Bruch nature reserve to the open-air museum. After visiting the exhibition, the route continues via Bohrau to Neu Sacro. Here it is worth stopping off at the Erlebnishof Gut Neu Sacro with its family-friendly restaurant. The youngest can let off steam on the straw bouncy castle or visit the cows in the barn.
For families with older children, a detour to Horno is recommended shortly before the finish in Forst. There, the "Archive of Vanished Places" keeps alive the memory of the almost 140 villages that had to make way for lignite mining in whole or in part.
Length: 31 km
Start/finish: Forst (Lausitz)
Link: www.lausitzerseenland.de/de/erleben/radfahren/thematische-tagestouren/artikel-zeitsprung-route-zwischen-euloer-bruch-und-klinger-see.html
On the trail of the wolf
For more than two centuries there were hardly any wolves in Germany. Since the end of the 1990s, however, several packs have been living in Lusatia again. On the 45-kilometre bike tour "On the Wolf's Trail", families learn about the animals' habitat. The route leads from Weißwasser through dense pine forests and post-mining landscapes, past inland dunes and ponds to Rietschen. Along the way, cyclists will come across rest stops with information boards about the predators. At their destination, they can learn more about the European grey wolves in an exhibition and nature films in the wolf barn in the Erlichthof museum village in Rietschen. At a wolf rally offered on 10 October, children and parents can test their knowledge at various stations.
Another highlight of the tour is the Nochten erratic block park. Here, a park landscape unique in the world has been created from 7,000 erratic blocks from the Ice Age that were dug out of the earth in the surrounding opencast mines. In October, heather, cyclamen, autumn crocus and autumn asters are in bloom. The playground "The Desert" welcomes little adventurers. On 28 October, the foundling park celebrates Halloween with a pumpkin ghost hunt and fire show.
Length: 45 kilometres
Start: Weißwasser, Destination: Rietschen
Link: www.lausitzerseenland.de/de/erleben/radfahren/thematische-tagestouren/artikel-dem-wolf-auf-der-faehrte.html
Dubringer Moor Tour
The 36-kilometre Dubringer Moor Tour from Hoyerswerda is an excursion into the animal and plant world of one of the last and largest moor landscapes between the Elbe and Oder rivers. It is worth packing a pair of binoculars. With a bit of luck, you can spot the majestic white-tailed eagle and the great bittern. Rare plants such as the sundew, cranberry and cotton grass can also be discovered. A wooden footbridge between Neukollm and Scheckthal and an observation tower at the Neudorf-Klösterlich pond farm provide ideal observation points. In Dubring, a path leads to the spot where, according to legend, a robber baron's castle once stood, which sank into the moor.
In Schwarzkollm, cyclists pass the Krabatmühle adventure farm, where families can immerse themselves in the traditions and legends of the Sorbs. On guided tours every weekend in October, they can learn more about the good-natured magician Krabat and the turbulent history of the mill. From 30 September to 1 October, the Erlebnishof celebrates harvest festival, and on 15 October, a dragon and slaughter festival. Families should definitely try the black ice cream or the homemade buttermilk pancakes in the associated restaurant.
Length: 36 kilometres
Start/finish: Hoyerswerda
Link: www.lausitzerseenland.de/de/erleben/radfahren/thematische-tagestouren/artikel-die-dubringer-moor-tour.html
Riddle Bike Tour around Lake Senftenberg and Lake Geierswalde
Families can follow in the footsteps of the miners on the 37-kilometre riddle bike tour around Lake Senftenberg and Lake Geierswalde. The special thing about it: The route is almost completely car-free, making it suitable for even the youngest cyclists. Equipped with a pen and a puzzle flyer, which is available on the Lusatian Lakeland website and at the tourist information offices in Senftenberg and Hoyerswerda, explorers cycle to eight stations. In the flyer and at the stations they learn how the mining district became a lake landscape. There are matching riddles. Those who solve them can pick up a small gift at the two tourist information centres.
On the way, cyclists pass the Senftenberg Castle and Fortress Museum, which invites visitors to exciting guided tours of the special exhibition "Oh this school - from the slate board to the Polylux" during the autumn holidays. A tip for families with young children is the event "Pittiplatsch on a journey" at the Wendische Kirche community centre in Senftenberg on 28 October.
Length: 37 km
Start/finish: Großkoschen
Link: www.lausitzerseenland.de/de/erleben/radfahren/thematische-tagestouren/artikel-raetsel-radtour-um-den-senftenberger-und-geierswalder-see.html