Pleasure Bike Paradise I Circular Tour 12 I Boundless - German Unity

From the castle square at Schöningen Castle, the route runs counterclockwise eastward past the marketplace and over Hötensleber Straße directly past the Schöningen open-cast mine. Up to its closure in August 2016, a total of 57 million tons of lignite were mined there. It is now being gradually recultivated. Our tour also takes us past the Schöningen Research Museum. The museum takes us approximately 300,000 years back to the Paleolithic era, where we meet the first inhabitants of Lower Saxony. The well-known Schöningen spears can also be admired on site as they were found nearby in 1994. We cycle on to Hötensleben, pass through the town, and turn left onto K 1369 towards Offleben. On the way, we pass directly by Lake Viktoria, which is a popular bathing lake in summer. We also drive through Offleben and follow the road signs towards Reinsdorf. From there, we cycle to Hohnsleben and continue over fields to Sommersdorf and then to Sommerschenburg. Our next destination is Marienborn, where for the first time on this tour, we encounter the topic of the former inner-German border. Located directly on the A2 motorway, we pass the Marienborn German Division Memorial. In GDR times, this was the largest border crossing on the inner-German border. Outdoor areas and the permanent exhibition in the main building can be visited and still remind us today of the division of Germany, Europe, and the world. After visiting the memorial, we turn right and cycle over the motorway bridge past former watchtowers. We are now in the middle of the Elm-Lappwald Nature Park, which is considered the largest and most beautiful beech forest in northern Germany. The area was also permanently settled by humans as early as the Neolithic, as evidenced by numerous megalithic and barrow graves. Between Bad Helmstedt and Beendorf, we also come across relics from the time of Germany's division. We leave Bad Helmstedt heading north, cycling through the idyllic stream valleys of the Lappwald. Eventually, we pass the Birkerteich forest swimming pool and cycle into Helmstedt. We ride leisurely right through the city center, pass the tourist information, and can take a break in one of the numerous restaurants and cafés. After the stop, we leave Helmstedt and follow the B 244 past meadows, fields, and woodland through Esbeck back to Schöningen, where we reach our starting point.