Pine, sand and silence: the Dübener Heide is one of the larger forests of central Germany, a broad plateau of heath and woodland between the Elbe and the Mulde. Trossin lies on its eastern edge, a small village surrounded by fields and forest, a few kilometres from Dommitzsch, where the Elbe flows slowly past meadows and old willows.
Torgau, a short ride north-east, is where American and Soviet troops met on the Elbe on 25 April 1945, cutting Germany in two. The meeting, known as Elbe Day, was celebrated as a symbol of Allied unity, and a monument on the riverbank commemorates it. Torgau also has a fine Renaissance castle, Schloss Hartenfels, with a famous spiral staircase.
Swimming here is a matter of choice. The Elbe is tempting on a hot day, but the current is strong, the river is used by boats and the banks can be steep and muddy. Local lakes and ponds in the Dübener Heide offer safer options, and some have designated bathing areas in summer. Ask locally or look for signs.
The riding is quiet and easy, with straight roads through forest and fields. Grip is usually fine, yet watch for cobbles in the villages, sand on the edges of forest roads and wildlife, especially deer and wild boar. Traffic is light, and the forests are cool and shady on hot days.
Near Kossa, in the forest, a Cold War command bunker of the East German army has been preserved and opened as a museum on certain days, a reminder that this quiet heath was once a military zone. Mockrehna and Dommitzsch have fuel and shops, and Torgau has restaurants and cafés.