Second Day Tour FONTANE.RAD – From Rheinsberg via Lindow

Away from the route there are several little-known beauty spots that can be combined to make a perfect day tour. Lindow (Mark) is a real gem of a town, while Köpernitz has been immortalised in literature perhaps more than any other village. The bicycle tour starts in Rheinsberg or Lindow (Mark).

Route description: Rheinsberg is the starting point of this circular tour. First, the route of the day tour leads along the main route of the FONTANE.RAD route via Zippelsförde with its large fish farm. From here, the day tour branches off in the direction of Lindow (Mark) - a small town closely associated with the history of its monastery: Theodor Fontane took it as the model for the "Wutz Monastery" in his novel "Der Stechlin". Today it is only preserved as a ruin in an impressive park ensemble, but stories and legends continue to entwine around the monastery: for example, a nun sculpture in Lake Wutz recalls the tragic love story that is said to have taken place between the beautiful nun and the poor peasant boy. The "Garden of the Book" on the Abbey grounds is the first Jewish-Christian-Muslim teaching and display garden in Germany and shows plant species from the Tanakh, Bible and Koran.

The tour continues to Köpernitz, where the urbane Countess La Roche-Aymon resided in Fontane's time. Today the estate is used as a public meeting place and cultural centre. The estate park consists of a herb, flower and fruit garden and is based on Chinese Feng Shui teachings.

The round tour then leads back to the starting point in Rheinsberg. The former residential town of Rheinsberg owes its fame above all to the rococo palace with its characteristic round towers, where the Prussian King Frederick II resided during his time as Crown Prince. Also worth seeing is the extensive palace park by the lake with its statues, arrangements of flower beds and hedges, where writers such as Kurt Tucholsky and Theodor Fontane used to stroll.

Alternatively, the tour can also be started from Lindow (Mark).

Length: 47 kilometres (3.5 to 4 hours)

Start/finish: Rheinsberg

Logo/route sign: FONTANE.RAD against an orange and white background

How to get there: From Berlin central station (Hauptbahnhof), take the RE 5 (Stralsund/Rostock) to Löwenberg (Mark) and from there take the RB 54 to Rheinsberg (about one hour 45 minutes).

Return journey: From Rheinsberg, take the RB 54 (Löwenberg (Mark)) to Löwenberg (Mark) and from there take the RE 5 (Elsterwerda) to Berlin central station (Hauptbahnhof) (about one hour 45 minutes).

Route: Rheinsberg, Zippelsförde, Lindow (Mark), Köpernitz, Rheinsberg

Points of interest and background information:Zippelsförde fish farmNun’s statue in WutzseeLindow monastery
Possible combinations:FONTANE.RAD main route between Oranienburg and PotsdamFONTANE.RAD Day Tour 1 from Rheinsberg via MolchowTrail conditions/surface: 82% asphalted – 18% non-asphalted

Maps/Literature:For details, see the FONTANE.RAD tour guide and cycle map.
The website //www.fontanerad.de" target="_blank"FONTANE.RAD has all the information you need on the cycle route.