Beeskow is a small town on the Spree with a castle that has found a second life. Burg Beeskow, a medieval fortress of brick and fieldstone beside the river, was once a seat of local lords and later a prison and a granary. Today, it houses an art archive that holds thousands of paintings and sculptures commissioned by the East German state, a large and strange collection that gives a picture of the art of the old regime, and it also hosts concerts and exhibitions. The town around it, with about eight and a half thousand people, still has parts of its medieval wall, a Gothic church of St Marien and a market square with old houses.
The Spree flows slowly past, a broad and gentle river lined with reeds and willows, on its way from the Lusatian hills to Berlin. The land around is a mixture of forest, meadow and lakes, with pine woods on sandy ridges and wet hollows between. Tauche and Friedland, little villages near the town, are typical of the region. Further south, the river enters the maze of channels of the Spreewald, and to the west, the Scharmützelsee glitters through the trees at Bad Saarow.
As a ride, the river roads are relaxed and rewarding. The roads wind beside the Spree, through villages with half-timbered houses and brick churches, with avenues of lime and chestnut trees, and the bends are gentle. The surface is generally good, with rougher patches on the minor roads, and farm traffic is common. Cyclists use the riverside paths heavily on summer weekends. Fog lies on the river on cool mornings, and in autumn the woods turn gold. Spring is lovely, with blossom and fresh green.
Practically, Beeskow has fuel stations, supermarkets and bakeries, and a few inns and cafes by the castle and in the market square serve local food, including fish from the river and lakes. Parking by the castle is easy, and the courtyard cafe is a pleasant place for a coffee. The nearest larger town is Frankfurt on the Oder, a short ride east. It is wise to keep cash for small villages, and a rain jacket in the pannier is always a good idea.