The Oderbruch is a landscape made by a king's order. In the middle of the eighteenth century, Frederick the Great had the marshy valley of the Oder drained and diked, turning a swamp into some of the richest farmland in Prussia, and he invited settlers from across Europe to farm it. The villages that sprang up have a regular layout, with a single long street and a church in the middle, and the fields run in straight lines to a flat horizon.
The land has seen heavy history. In April 1945, the Soviet army crossed the Oder and attacked the German positions on the Seelow Heights, a low escarpment above the plain, in one of the last great battles of the Second World War, and a memorial and museum at Seelow, about twenty kilometres south-east, tell the story. The great Oder flood of 1997 put the dikes to the test, and the villages still talk about the sandbag lines and the weeks of watching. In Letschin, nine and a half kilometres away, the young Theodor Fontane spent part of his childhood, when his father kept a pharmacy there.
Riding here is about space and light. The roads are straight and flat, with tall avenues of poplars and limes that give the landscape its rhythm, and wind sweeps in across the open fields with nothing to stop it. Crosswinds can be strong, and a headwind on a long straight is a test of patience. The surface is generally good, with occasional rough patches. In spring, the rapeseed turns the fields yellow, and in autumn, cranes pass overhead in loud flocks and storks gather before flying south. Evening light on the flat land is beautiful.
Practically, Neuhardenberg has fuel and a small shop, and Letschin and Seelow offer more. There is little shelter in a storm, so watch the sky. The palace restaurant in Neuhardenberg is good for a proper meal, and bakeries in the villages open early. Carry some cash for farm stands, which sell eggs, honey and vegetables in season. A slow evening drive here is a good way to understand why a king wanted this land.