Serrahn and Wohnstadt Carl Legien

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Serrahn

   Between the lakes of Mecklenburg, north of Berlin, a pocket of old beech forest has been left to grow for the better part of a century, and it is now one of the most unusual places in Germany. Serrahn is a part of the Müritz National Park, a few kilometres from Carpin, and its beeches were once part of a ducal hunting reserve that was protected from logging, so some trees are two hundred years old and more. The Serrahn woods are part of the UNESCO listing of Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe, a serial site that protects the finest remaining beech forests, from Ukraine and Slovakia to Germany, Spain and Italy.

   Read the complete Serrahn write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Serrahn is where the day begins. Next is Grumsin.

2. 2. 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 comes up about 95 km into the recorded legs. Next is The ADGB Trade Union School.

3. 3. The ADGB Trade Union School

   In the pine woods just outside Bernau, north of Berlin, a cluster of yellow brick buildings steps down a gentle slope toward a lake, and it is one of the purest expressions of Bauhaus architecture anywhere. The Federal School of the General German Trade Union Federation, known by its German initials ADGB, was designed by Hannes Meyer, the second director of the Bauhaus, with Hans Wittwer, and built between 1928 and 1930 as a training college for union officials. Every detail, from the arrangement of the dormitory wings in staggered blocks to the glass corridor that runs down the slope, was designed to encourage community, light and a healthy life. It was added to the UNESCO Bauhaus site in 2017.

   Read the complete The ADGB Trade Union School write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   about 142 km into the recorded legs you reach The ADGB Trade Union School. Next is Wohnstadt Carl Legien.

4. 4. 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, about halfway. Next is back through The ADGB Trade Union School.

5. 5. back through The ADGB Trade Union School

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete The ADGB Trade Union School write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   back through The ADGB Trade Union School sits at 212 km, about halfway. Next is back through Grumsin.

6. 6. back through 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 through Grumsin comes up about 254 km into the recorded legs. Next is Serrahn.

7. 7. Serrahn

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Serrahn write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Serrahn closes the day.