Primeval plants and green prospects in Eberswalde

Formerly, Eberswalde stood for industry. Today, the city is characterized by diverse nature, which can be best explored by bicycle. There is the Forest Botanical Garden with its variety of plant species and its unusually large occurrence of prehistoric plants such as the giant horsetail. The Family Garden at the more than 400-year-old Finow Canal combines different play areas with the impressive industrial history of the past, which is best explored from the 32-meter-high Eber Crane.Length: 12 kmStart / Finish: Eberswalde main train stationLogo / route signs: Node cycle path signpost 87 - 89 - 91 - 90 - 86 - 89 - 87Arrival / Departure: Public transport: from Berlin Hauptbahnhof with Regional Express RE3 to Eberswalde: from Berlin-Ostkreuz with Regionalbahn RB24 to EberswaldeCar: from Berlin via the A10 and A11 motorways to the Finowfurt exit, then continue on federal road B167 to Eberswalde: from Berlin via federal road B2 to EberswaldeRoute: Eberswalde main train station, Finow Canal, Kupferhammer Lock, Family Garden, Zoological Garden, Forest Botanical Garden, Park am Weidendamm, University for Sustainable Development (HNE), Market, Finow Canal, Kupferhammer Lock, Eberswalde main train stationDirections: From the main train station, head first to the Finow Canal. With a total length of 42 kilometers and twelve historic locks, it is the oldest still navigable artificial waterway in Germany. For more than 400 years, it has connected the Havel with the Oder and was for a long period one of the most important transport connections in the Mark Brandenburg.Upstream from the Kupferhammer lock is the Family Garden. The special highlight of this park is the differently designed gardens of the former site of the State Garden Show from 2002. In addition, one should dare to take a wide view from the 32-meter-high viewing platform of the Eber Crane and take a boat trip to the underground operation arches of the former industrial area.From the Family Garden, head south and then through the residential area Brandenburgisches Viertel to Zoo Eberswalde, which is located in the middle of a mixed forest. It is home to a total of 1,500 animals from five continents. Particularly noteworthy are, among others, the wolf enclosure, the walk-in fallow deer, kangaroo, and lion enclosures, as well as the group of monkeys living freely in the trees of the zoo.Not far from the zoo is the Forest Botanical Garden. It is nestled in the charming Schwärzetal. Founded in 1830 by Friedrich Wilhelm Leopold Pfeil, the garden offers an ideal combination of recreation and natural history. A total of 1,200 species of native and exotic woody plants grow on the premises. These include extraordinary plants such as the trumpet tree, the giant leaf, or the giant horsetail.From the Forest Botanical Garden, continue via the Schwappachweg and the Park am Weidendamm back to the Eberswalde city center and the main train station.Path conditions / route expansion: well pavedCombination options:1. Stage Circular hiking trail Around the SchorfheideForests, water, and a giant elevatorIndustrial culture on the Finow Canal - Discovery tourCycle tour Nature and Industrial CultureTowpathSights: Family GardenForest Botanical GardenPark am WeidendammSchwärzetal / HerthafließFinow CanalDevils BridgeBorsig HallSt. Maria Magdalena ChurchMuseum EberswaldeOld and New Town HallZoological GardenMaps / Literature: Schorfheide, Uckermark, Barnim, 1:50 000, KOMPASS hiking maps, edition: 2 (30.6.2021), ISBN-13: 9783991212935, 11.99 euros