Dear tour

Romantic spots and old beech trees where love couples carved their names: On the signposted cycle path "Love Tour" you cycle through a scenic route to romantic places, where many love stories can be told.

The tour starts and ends in the picturesque farming district of Achim at the Clüverhaus, a typical Lower Saxon half-timbered farmhouse from 1824, which now houses a cozy café. Through the Achimer Marsch with its distinctive hedgerow landscape, passing the landmark of the city Achim, a thatched gallery Dutch windmill, the tour runs along the Ueser boat harbor and also past the Badener Berge, a Geest ridge, where due to the terracing of the Badener Weser slope, you have a magnificent view over the Weser and the marsh. Directly on the steep slope of the Weser is the Hünenburg house, a magnificent Art Nouveau villa from the early 20th century.

The house is located in the middle of a historic ring wall from the 11th century. According to legend, around 1400, the infamous pirate Claus Störtebeker is said to have used the Hünenburg as cover for his ships. The Etelsen Castle, a magnificent building from the Neo-Renaissance period, is located in a 10-hectare protected castle park, where visitors can enjoy nature.

The landscape is predominantly characterized by meadows and fields, interspersed with typical hedgerows and small deciduous forests. In Thedinghausen, more sights await cyclists: In the town center, it is worth visiting the town hall square with the ensemble consisting of the town hall, warehouse, barn, and octagonal dovecote. The magnificent Erbhof, an old manor house with artistically designed windows, door arches, tower gables, and decorative columns, was built in 1619/1620 for the lover of the Archbishop of Bremen. And with a little luck, you can also find the Double Beech tree by the wayside, where lovers have carved their hearts.

Directions:
Start at the Clüverhaus in Achim. The historical farmhouse with blue half-timbering houses a nice, inclusive café. Towards the Weser, passing the St. Laurentius Church, the path leads through the farming district to the Achimer Windmill and then to Brückenstraße. On this side of the Weser, parallel to the Schwedenschanze, head towards Baden. From the restaurant terrace of Badener Berg, you have a good panoramic view of the marsh and the confluence of the lock canal and the Weser.

Traces of love in Achim:
St. Laurentius Church in Achim: together forever. As part of the entourage of Danish Queen Caroline Mathilde (1751-1772), banished to Celle after a love affair with the royal physician Struvensee, was Oberhofmeister Detlef Reventlow. The sarcophagi of the Reventlow couple - Mrs. Reventlow came from Clüverswerder estate - were initially laid out in the crypt under the Clüver chapel. They are now located in the Mandelsloh chapel in St. Laurentius Church, the city's oldest building, first mentioned in a document in 1257.

The marriage swindler of Embsen:
A tailor from Rotenburg (Fulda) settled in Embsen in 1882. He won the heart of a not unwealthy lady, and the banns were published on April 5. Luckily for the Embsen bride, it was revealed in time that the tailor was already married and the father of three children in Oldenburg. As punishment for his deceit and fraud, he was sentenced to 3 months in the Achim prison.

Perfect for modern weddings:
Achim offers various possibilities beyond churches, with a villa, mill, and ship, to say "I do" in a romantic atmosphere. The Hünenburg house with its ring wall is a beautifully restored Art Nouveau villa with a view of the Weser and can be privately rented. A rustic setting is offered by the thatched Achimer Windmill located on a Geest ridge, where couples can tie the knot from May to September. Weddings on board are possible on the passenger ship "MA Stadt Verden" of the Weser fleet.

Noteworthy love things in Etelsen:
The most impressive building in Etelsen is undoubtedly the castle, which was built by the von Heimbruch brothers from 1885 to 1887 to replace an older manor with the adjacent manor. Festive concerts in the castle, exhibitions, summer concerts, and garden festivals in the castle park - the castle is the lively center of the village. In Etelsen, you can shorten the route by half to 25 km and cross over from Hagen-Grinden to Ahsen-Oetzen with the passenger and bike ferry "Gentsiet". Along the lock canal, you pass Cluvenhagen, Daverden (a detour to the St. Sigismund Church ensemble and the sexton's house is worth it), Langwedel (Häuslingshaus) to Eissel. From there, you pass through fields and the Sachsenhain to Verden. Cross the South Bridge and enjoy the view of the old town. The cathedral (built between 1290 - 1490) dominates the Fischer district, with the old arm of the Aller and the Aller flowing in front. On the common land between the rivers, the horses characteristic of the horse city graze; on the cathedral side, you can see the scout house Amelungen and the shepherd's house of the Süderstadt (now a training center for beekeepers).

Traces of love in Verden:
Swedish Queen Christina of Sweden (1629 - 1689), in whose territory Verden (Aller) was located, is said to have said: "Life is too short to love as one should." How much this applied to the separate parts of Verden, the proud Norderstadt of the merchants and the noble and clerical dominated Süderstadt, which were only united in 1667 after the devastating consequences of the 30-year war. By decree, the partially antagonistic citizens were henceforth to share "table and bed". Thus, the Reichsäbtissin Charlotte Sophie von Kurland, who lived in exile in Verden from 1703 until her death in 1728, was said to have been in a relationship with a "Moor" as they said at the time. Anita Augspurg, one of the first female lawyers and artistically and politically versatile Verdener, called for a marriage boycott in 1905. Possibly also because the lesbian relationship in which she lived at that time could not hope for societal acceptance. Forbidden desires were satisfied in the bathhouse on Fischerstraße for centuries because not only bathing and hair cutting took place here.

Goldmann Grave in Verden (Aller):
In memory of his son Franz Jr., who died early in a hunting accident on May 11, 1818, his father, Amtmann Franz Goldmann, founded the Goldmann Foundation with 1000 talers. The "blameless, virtuous bride who marries on the day of his son's death, adorns his grave with flowers, and prays receives 30 talers (about 45 euros). This beautiful tradition continues to this day. Along the L203, the path leads you across the Weser. In Oiste, you will find two remarkably imposing buildings for the small village: the classicist church built in 1832 and the two-story rectory. Through the "Mühlenwiese," you reach the Blender See and the "Mühlenberg" to the church in Blender. Passing the Blender Mill, which can also be rented for weddings, you drive to Amedorf and Intschede with the pretty red-painted St. Michaelis Church in the village center. Through the Weser lowlands via Nottorf and Morsum, you pass Holtorf through the Tree Park to the Erbhof Castle in Thedinghausen.

Traces of love in Thedinghausen:
The warehouse (current town hall):
The large manor house with the striking octagonal dovecote belonged to Dr. Th. L. W. Grimm. In honor of his Turkish-born grandmother, he had a crescent moon installed in the bell tower. As war booty, Abbas Cachiane Rhebisch came from the northern Turkish city of Oszakow to St. Petersburg, then via Blankenburg to Zorge in the Harz mountains. After giving birth to nine children, she died at the age of 44.

Erbhof Castle:
The representative archbishop's residence was planned as a small pleasure palace and stands for a beautiful, forbidden, and also sad love story between Archbishop Johann Friedrich and Gertrud von Heimbruch from Gut Varste. Both met in May 1612 when the archbishop stayed overnight at the manor of Ritter Heinrich Korlehake Hermeling and his 22-year-old wife, who was Gertrud von Heimbruch. In 1619, the archbishop began the construction of the pleasure palace, but when Gertrud died in the midst of the construction in 1620, the building was converted into an official residence. The medallions carved in sandstone with the portraits of the lovers remind of the original building site. The magnificent building in the style of the fading Weser Renaissance with its artistically designed windows, door arches, and tower gables is a very special place for a wedding and is perfect for unique wedding photos against a historical backdrop. The Love Tour takes you from Thedinghausen to Werder into the countryside over the "Wischkämpegraben". Afterwards, you drive along the L156 to the Weser bridge to Achim. Passing the Achim boathouse, you go through the farming district back to the starting point at Clüverhaus in Achim.

You can also find the Love Tour on Komoot.

Safety instructions:
Throughout the tour, it is advised that the cycle paths are used at your own risk. No guarantee is given for the usability of the cycle paths. Increased attention is required in cities. Please use existing cycle paths. Be aware of potential hazards on the tour, such as bollards, barriers, and unsecured crossings of federal roads - especially for families cycling with small children.