Seventh Stage “Lower Lusatian Mining Tour”: Spremberg - Spremberg

This round trip runs along the Spree river from Brandenburg to the north of Saxony. The Lower Lusatian Mining Tour continues idyllically along the Kleine Spree, passing Lake Bernsteinsee and Lake Scheibesee before reaching the next stop: Hoyerswerda, in the Communist era home to a large number of energy workers. In order to get a complete picture of the mining history in Lusatia, visiting Hoyerswerda’s Neustadt district, built entirely using prefabricated concrete, is just as recommended as visiting the energy factory in the district of Knappenrode. In the closed-down briquette factory three times a day the announcement is made – ’Shift start!’ For a brief moment the factory then comes back to life. The noise from the machines is simply deafening.
Visitors to the Schwarze Pumpe power plant will get to know one of the most modern lignite-fired power plants in Europe. In the multimedia information centre they can find out interesting facts about the region, open-cast mining and electricity generation from lignite.Length: 73 mm (Brandenburg section - 9 kilometres)Start/finish: SprembergLogo/route sign: The route logo is the red Rekord devil.How to get there: Take the RE2 from Berlin central station to Cottbus. From here continue with the OE65 to Spremberg (about 3 hours).Return journey: From Spremberg take the OE65 to Cottbus. From here take the RE2 (Wismar) to Berlin central station (about 3 hours).Route: Spremberg, Spreewitz, Burghammer, castle, Hoyerswerda, Knappenrode, Koblenz, Mortka, Lohsa, Weißkollm, castle, Burghammer, Spreewitz, SprembergPoints of interest/background information:Spremberg: Niederlausitzer Heidemuseum, castleJakubzburg MortkaKnappenrode energy factoryHoyerswerda: Castle and town museumPossible combinationsPrince Pueckler Cycle PathLakeland RouteSpree Cycle PathTour BrandenburgTrail conditions/surface: The tour takes you along a completely newly created cycle path with an asphalt covering.Maps/Literature: “ADFC-Regionalkarte Niederlausitz mit Tagestouren-Vorschlägen. Mit kompletter Niederlausitzer Bergbautour und Fürst-Pückler-Radweg”, 1:75.000, Bielefelder Verlag, Auflage: 1 (1. April 2009), ISBN-13: 978-3870734664, Euro 6.80