Grumsin and Luther Memorials in Eisleben and Wittenber

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Grumsin

   North-east of Berlin, the last ice age left behind a landscape of hills, hollows and lakes, shaped by glaciers that advanced and melted back again. In one corner of it, between Angermünde and Joachimsthal, lies the Grumsin forest, a beech wood that has been left largely undisturbed for a long time. It is part of the UNESCO site of Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe, inscribed as one of Germany's contributions in 2011. Old beeches tower above a forest floor scattered with fallen trunks, small ponds and bogs, and in spring the canopy glows a fresh, translucent green.

   Read the complete Grumsin write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Grumsin is where the day begins. Next is Wohnstadt Carl Legien.

2. 2. Wohnstadt Carl Legien

   Bruno Taut liked colour, and in Berlin in the late 1920s, he used it to make social housing feel joyful. The Wohnstadt Carl Legien, built between 1928 and 1930 in Prenzlauer Berg, is a large estate of apartment blocks arranged around green courtyards that open onto the street, with facades painted in bright, contrasting colours: yellow, red, blue and green, the balconies and window frames picking out the patterns. It was named after Carl Legien, a leader of the German trade unions, and it was built by a union-affiliated housing association to provide light, air and greenery for working families. It is one of the six Berlin Modernism Housing Estates listed by UNESCO in 2008.

   Read the complete Wohnstadt Carl Legien write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Wohnstadt Carl Legien comes up about 75 km into the recorded legs. Next is Luther Memorials in Eisleben and Wittenber.

3. 3. Luther Memorials in Eisleben and Wittenber

   Wittenberg is a small town on the Elbe that changed Europe. In 1517, an Augustinian monk and professor of theology named Martin Luther took on the sale of indulgences, and the debate that followed became the Reformation. Tradition says he nailed his Ninety-five Theses to the door of the castle church, though historians still argue about whether he actually used a hammer. What is certain is that he sent them to the archbishop and that printers spread them across Germany within weeks.

   Read the complete Luther Memorials in Eisleben and Wittenber write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 192 km into the recorded legs you reach Luther Memorials in Eisleben and Wittenber. Next is back through Wohnstadt Carl Legien.

4. 4. back through Wohnstadt Carl Legien

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Wohnstadt Carl Legien write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Wohnstadt Carl Legien, late in the day. Next is Grumsin.

5. 5. Grumsin

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Grumsin write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Grumsin. That is the ride.