Elbe-Altmark-Wendland region of experience

In the heart of Germany, just an hour’s journey from the conurbations of Berlin and Hamburg, there lies a special river landscape. The river Elbe, divided for decades by the prohibited zone of the inner-German border, is one of the last remaining near-natural rivers. It provides the region with a very own rhythm, and with its currents and fluctuating water levels, forms floodplains, moist forests and meadows on its banks, to create unique natural paradises there.

A trip to the quadripoint country, an intersection of four states between the former border river and the Hanseatic city of Salzwedel, is worthwhile at any time of year. Here the visitor can relax and enjoy nature, and gain fascinating impressions of the Green Belt.

 

In the spring, hundreds of white storks return from their southern wintering grounds, reviving villages and meadows by the great river. Beavers and otters frolic around, black storks and cranes nest in the area. The winter season is the time of the great bird migration: Huge swarms of wild geese, cranes and whooper swans gather on the flooded Elbe meadows, at Lake Arendsee and in the expansive flats of the tributaries, presenting a rare spectacle of nature.

 

The millennia-old history of this border region comes alive in many places. The history of Lenzen castle goes back to Slavic times, ands Lake Arendsee is captivating, with its picturesque monastery ruins and the Romanic church building. The Hanseatic city of Salzwedel and the town of Hitzacker/Elbe are very enticing, with their cityscapes dominated by old timber-framed buildings.

If you want to pursue this exciting combination of nature, culture and history in the quadripoint area of the Green Belt by bicycle, you can follow the course of the Green Belt on the “four countries border cycle path”. Over a length of almost 200km, this new cycle round trip connects unique natural treasures, touches on impressive relics of the former border, and takes you into historic city centres and romantic villages. Many special features can also be explored by water, conveniently with the passenger ship on the Elbe, or actively with a canoe on one of the idyllic tributaries.

 

View travel packages of Elbe-Altmark-Wendland here (Only German language)

 

Further information about Elbe-Altmark-Wendland here (Only German language)