Cycle route of the megalithic culture

Along the cycle route of the Megalithic Culture, you will discover more than 70 megalithic tombs and their fascinating history.

Granite boulders are even heavier than they look: the 70 megalithic tombs along the Megalithic Culture cycle route were built from rocks weighing up to 50 tons - as much as 2,500 bicycles combined. Who built such structures over 5,000 years ago without machines and using pure muscle power? Giants! People believed in the past and told legends about the "giant's graves".
Follow these myths on the way between Osnabrück and Oldenburg. Discover the Devil's Stones, Devil's Trough, Devil's Oven, and other Neolithic cult sites on the geest ridges in vast heathland or in the semi-darkness of deep forests.

Furthermore, learn the truth about the megalithic tombs, which is at least as exciting as the legends. Because apparently, the Neolithic builders already used draught animals over 5,500 years ago and applied the laws of leverage that Archimedes formulated 3,000 years later.

The megalithic tombs also provide insights into the daily life of the Neolithic period, as they contained grave goods such as weapons, jewelry, and food. Different types of food were found in the typical "funnel beakers", showing us today that the people back then kept sheep, goats, cattle, and pigs, and grew wheat, barley, peas, and beans.

Replicas of megalithic tombs with complete equipment can be found in the Archaeology Exhibition Center of Emsland in Meppen, as well as in the State Museum of Nature and Man in Oldenburg. Information panels on-site provide backgrounds on individual burial sites.

Our travel tip:
Stones as Witnesses of TimeYour Stages:
Stage 1: Osnabrück - Bramsche, approx. 70 km
Stage 2: Bramsche - Fürstenau, approx. 59 km
Stage 3: Fürstenau - Meppen, approx. 70 km
Stage 4: Meppen - Werlte, approx. 52 km
Stage 5: Werlte - Cloppenburg, approx. 40 km
Stage 6: Cloppenburg - Wildeshausen, approx. 49 km
Stage 7: Wildeshausen - Ganderkesee, approx. 22 km
Stage 8: Ganderkesee - Oldenburg, approx. 36 km

Attractive package deals can be booked via www.mevelo.de