Enjoyment Bike Paradise I Star route 03 I Of cave dwellings and high culture

We begin our star route on the pedestrian bridge at the old town roundabout in the heart of Wernigerode, the “Colorful town by the Harz”. From our starting point we can already see the imposing Wernigerode Castle towering high on the hill. We cycle in this direction, pass the scenic Lustgarten and turn left at the southern end into Am Lustgarten street. We follow the street until we turn into Maerkerstieg at the foot of Ziegelberg, which leads along the forest edge without significant changes in elevation. We are on the famous R1 Europaradweg. Below Stapenberg, we turn left and pass through Benzingerode. On Ziegeleistraße, we cycle with a beautiful view towards Heimburg. A short detour to the viewpoint is worthwhile. Those who want to experience even more culture and unforgettable panoramic views should cycle through the village to Heimburg Castle ruins. We continue following Maerkerstieg southeastwards, accompanied by the Teufelsbach stream. On our way, we reach Michaelstein Abbey, founded in the 12th century by Cistercian monks. Many historic buildings still exist, and especially the monastery complex invites visitors to linger in summer. Our route takes us through the Blankenburg district of Oesig into Blankenburg. At the junction of Eichenbergstraße and Rohdenbergstraße, we have the choice: either continue cycling along Rohdenbergstraße or take the small detour to the Great Castle in Blankenburg. Having made our decision, we proceed to Thie Park, which we cross. Passing the train station, Alte Halberstädter Straße takes us back into more rural surroundings. We pass the A36 motorway, which conveniently connects locals and guests along the Harz towns on the northern edge of the Harz. We cycle through a pine-covered area of sandstone formations typical for this region. To our left are cultural highlights such as Regenstein Castle ruins and the well-known sandstone caves. At the village of Börnecke, we turn left and follow paths along Goldbach stream to Langenstein. Here we find a unique testimony to earlier residential culture in Germany: the Langenstein cave dwellings. Farmworker families carved the sandstone to create living caves, some of which may even date back to Germanic settlement times. The last resident left the cave dwelling only in 1916. It seems as if no one ever left, as tiny curtains still hang at the small windows, which together with the little herb gardens, look as if they were taken from a Hobbit movie. The cave dwellings in Höhlenstraße at Schäferberg and on Altenburg can be visited. Individual guided tours can be booked via the Halberstadt tourist information. The route does not pass directly past the cave dwellings. We turn left from Quedlinburger Straße into Schmiedestraße and then into the third street on the right, Schäferberg. From there we return to Quedlinburger Straße and continue our route leading us to the foot of the Thekenberge hills. At the former country house, we can leave our e-bikes and climb the “Glass Monk” for a wonderful view. Afterwards, we cycle past a place with a dark history, the Langenstein-Zwieberge concentration camp memorial. More than 7,000 prisoners from 23 countries were held here between 1944 and 1945. We turn right into the forest before the Mehdingschanze war memorial. Over Lindenberg, we reach the Spiegelsberge landscape park, one of the first landscaped gardens created in Germany. Remaining until today are the hunting lodge with a giant wine barrel from 1594, the hermitage and the Belvedere observation tower. From the castle terrace there is a beautiful view over the skyline of Halberstadt. We follow Spiegelsbergenweg towards the center of Halberstadt. Here we ride directly towards Halberstadt Cathedral and Cathedral Treasury, which we should definitely visit. The Gothic cathedral was built between 1236 and 1486, modeled after French cathedrals. The cathedral treasury houses over 300 relics from several centuries. If desired, we can use Halberstadt as a stopover and spend the night here. Otherwise, we head west, cross the Holtemme river and follow the B79 for a while until we turn left into Am Wasserwerk street. We ride along Mahndorfer Landstraße, which follows the course of the Holtemme. Behind the small village of Mahndorf, we cross the river and continue on the Holtemme cycle path on the left side of the river. We reach Derenburg, where we cross the Holtemme again. Here a visit to the local Harzkristall glassworks, one of the last active glassworks in Germany, is worthwhile. After the detour into the fascinating world of glassblowing, we cycle past the villages of Silstedt, Minsleben, and Redebber back to our starting point in Wernigerode.