Round trip in the Upper Lusatia border triangle
The Upper Lusatia cycle tour takes you on a long tour through the border triangle of Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. It runs mainly on cycle paths and country roads with little traffic. Most of the routes are tarmac.
A few longer climbs await you in the Zittau Mountains and on the way up to the source of the Spree on Mount Kottmar, especially in the first third of the circular tour. Along the Neisse and through the Upper Lusatian heath and pond landscape, however, the route is flat. The route can be easily combined with the Spree Cycle Path, the Oder-Neisse Cycle Path and the Frog Cycle Path.
GPS data
You can find the GPX track for this tour in the MYBIKE Collection on komoot
Worth seeing
Historic old town of Bautzen
with Ortenburg Castle and St Peter's Cathedral.
Sundial village Taubenheim
More than 30 sundials can be found in the small town on the River Spree.
Obercunnersdorf
There are over 200 half-timbered houses (old type of house in Lusatia) in the village.
Spree spring on the Kottmar
The Eibauer Spree spring (at 478 metres) is located on the western slope of the Kottmar mountain.
Zittau with three-country point
The borders of Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic meet at the edge of the city on the Neisse.
Görlitz
Görlitz is the easternmost city in Germany and was almost completely spared destruction during the Second World War.
Bad Muskau
In 1815, Hermann Prince von Pückler-Muskau laid out an 830-hectare landscape garden in the English style. A large part of the park lies east of the Neisse River on Polish territory.
Nochten opencast lignite mine
From the Vattenfall observation tower you can see over the lunar landscape of the Muskauer Heide spoil tips
Accommodation tips
Hotel Goldener Adler in Bautzen (built in 1540),
a comfortable hotel with a cosy beer bar. www.goldeneradler.de
Hotel Riedel in Zittau,
Cyclists' and motorcyclists' meeting place with beer garden, www.hotel-riedel.de
Obermühle Görlitz
The former flour mill on the Neisse river is now home to a bed-and-bike inn, a slow food restaurant with a beer garden. www.obermuehle-goerlitz.de
Kulturhotel Fürst Pückler
Well-equipped wellness and spa hotel near the UNESCO World Heritage Site. kulturhotel-fuerst-pueckler-park.de
Literature and maps
Compass map no. 811 "Upper Lusatia, Zittau Mountains" 1:50,000.
ADFC cycle tour map 14 "Lusatia / Eastern Ore Mountains" 1:150,000.
ADFC regional map "Upper Lusatia" with day tour suggestions, 1:75,000
Information
Tourism Marketing Saxony, www.sachsen-tourismus.de;
Marketing-GesellschaftOberlausitz-Niederschlesien, www.oberlausitz.com
The complete article was published in Trekkingbike issue 3/2016. You can download the individual article as a PDF here.
