Seventh Stage “Lower Lusatian Mining Tour”: Spremberg - Spremberg

This round trip runs along the Spree river from Brandenburg to the north of Saxony. The Lower Lusatian Mining Tour continues idyllically along the Kleine Spree river, passing Lake Bernsteinsee and Lake Scheibesee before reaching the next stop: Hoyerswerda, in the Communist era home to a large number of energy workers. To get a complete picture of the history of mining in Lusatia, we recommend a visit to the Hoyerswerda-Neustadt district on this stage, which is an example of a residential town built using prefabricated housing. You then travel to the district of Knappenrode, where you should visit the Knappenrode energy factory. In the closed-down briquette factory, three times a day the following announcement is made: ’Shift start!’ For a brief moment the factory then comes back to life. The noise from the machines is simply deafening. The permanent multimedia exhibition takes you on a journey through the development of the region from coal mining to the development of the modern energy industry. The ‘Lausitzblick’ viewing platform offers a 360-degree view of the former mine site and the recultivated lakes in the surrounding area. Visitors to the Schwarze Pumpe power plant will get to know one of the most modern lignite-fired power plants in Europe. In the multimedia information centre they can find out interesting facts about the region, surface mining and electricity generation from lignite. You can also visit the inside of Schwarze Pumpe with a guided tour.

Length: 75 kilometres
Start: Spremberg
Finish: Spremberg

Logo/route sign: Red devil with bicycle

Arrival: Take the RE2 from Berlin central station to Cottbus. From here continue with the OE65 to Spremberg (about 3 hours).
Departure: From Spremberg take the OE65 to Cottbus. From here take the RE2 (Wismar) to Berlin central station (about 3 hours).

Route: Spremberg, Spreewitz, Burgneudorf, Burghammer, Hoyerswerda, Zeißig, Maukendorf, Knappenrode, Koblenz, Mortka, Lohsa, Weißkollm, Burg, Burghammer, Burgneudorf, Spreewitz, Spremberg

Points of interest/background information:

• Spremberg: Castle with Niederlausitzer Heidemuseum
• Schwarze Pumpe (detour): Modern lignite-fired power station with multimedia information centre and viewing platform (only with registered guided tour via excursio)
• Hoyerswerda: Neustadt with listed prefabricated concrete buildings built for the energy workers from the 1950s onwards, Zuse Computer Museum, old town with castle
• Knappenrode: energy factory
• Mortka: Jakubzburg castle complex
• Weißkollm: Lake Dreiwebern

Possible combinations

• Prince Pueckler Cycle Path
• Lakeland Route
• Spree Cycle Path
• Tour Brandenburg

Trail conditions/surface:
mostly asphalted cycle paths and cycle roads, some sections also on side roads, unpaved paths or paved roads, some root break-ups, few gradients

Maps/Literature:

• Upper Spreewald-Lausitz district, 1:50,000, Sachsen Kartographie GmbH, ISBN 978-3-86843-058-5
• Lusatian Lakeland, 1:50,000, Sachsen Kartographie GmbH, ISBN 978-3-86843-021-9
• Niederlausitz/Lausitzer Seenland, 1:75,000, ADFC regional map, BVA Verlag, ISBN 978-3-87073-783-2