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 river, 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 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 following 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, surface mining and electricity generation from lignite. 

Length: 74 kilometres
Start: Spremberg
Finish: Spremberg

Logo/route sign: The route logo is the red Rekord devil.

Arrival: Take the RE2 from Berlin central station to Cottbus. From here continue with the OE65 to Spremberg (about 3 hours).
Departure: From Spremberg take the OE65 to Cottbus. From here take the RE2 (Wismar) to Berlin central station (about 3 hours).

Route: Spremberg, Spreewitz, Burgneudorf, Burghammer, Hoyerswerda, Zeißig, Maukendorf, Knappenrode, Koblenz, Mortka, Lohsa, Weißkollm, Burg, Burghammer, Burgneudorf, Spreewitz, Spremberg

Please note that the route is currently being revised. A revised route will be available for the 2024 season.

Points of interest/background information:

• Spremberg: Castle with Niederlausitzer Heidemuseum
• Schwarze Pumpe (detour): Modern lignite-fired power station with multimedia information centre and viewing platform
• Hoyerswerda: Neustadt with listed prefabricated concrete buildings built for the energy workers from the 1950s onwards, Zuse Computer Museum, old town with castle
• Knappenrode: energy factory
• Mortka: Jakubzburg castle complex
• Weißkollm: Lake Dreiwebern

Possible combinations

• Prince Pueckler Cycle Path
• Lakeland Route
• Spree Cycle Path
• Tour Brandenburg

Trail conditions/surface:
mostly asphalted cycle paths and cycle roads, some sections also on side roads, unpaved paths or paved roads, some root break-ups, few gradients

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