Santa and Silkworms

In a photo album of the most beautiful cycling experiences of the year, this tour would be represented by two unusual motifs. Nowhere else will you find a Santa’s Grotto where a festively decorated parlour invites you to linger for a while even in high summer. Form time to time, the man with the white beard even calls by in person in Himmelpfort to pose for the cameras with tourists in a t-shirt.Length: 51 kilometresStart/finish: Fürstenberg (Havel)Logo/route sign: not specifiedHow to get there:Train: Take the RE5 (Stralsund) from Berlin central station to Fürstenberg (Havel ) (about 1 hour).Car: Take the A111 and B96 from Berlin to Fürstenberg (Havel ) (about 1.5 hours).Route: Fürstenberg (Havel), Himmelpfort, Dannenwalde, Zernikow, Menz, Neuglobsow, Fürstenberg (Havel)Route description: After these experiences in Himmelpfort shortly after the start in Fürstenberg/Havel, the tour carries on cheerfully through the forest and lakeland scenery to the south, where the next surprise awaits in Zernikow. At the manor house, an exhibition recalls the attempts in Prussia to establish large-scale silkworm breeding using mulberry trees. Living examples of the butterflies can even be marvelled at and photographed.
Lake Stechlinsee, famous for its immense visible depth, is adjoined by a further highlight on this varied round tour of the Stechlin-Ruppiner Land Nature Park.Points of interest/background information:Fürstenberg: Forestry museum, draisine station, Ravensbrück Remembrance and Memorial SiteHimmelpfort: Monastery herb garden and monastery ruins, Santa’s GrottoDannenwalde: Environmental train station and barefoot trailZernikow: Manor house complex with an exhibition on silkworm breedingMenz: Nature Park House and sensory gardenNeuglobsow: Glasmacherhaus (Glassmaker’s House), Lake StechlinseePossible combinationsHavel Cycle PathLakes and Culture Cycle PathTour BrandenburgTrail conditions/surface: not specifiedMaps/Literature: “Radkarte Ruppiner Land”, 1:75.000, Esterbauer Verlag, Auflage: 1. (15. April 2011), ISBN-10: 3850003043, Euro 6.90