We have so much in common

Let’s start in the very north of the region, on the island of Usedom and in Świnoujście. Here, you can cross the border by bike at three points. The most popular spot, and one frequently featured on various websites, is the so-called Border Gate, situated along the Świnoujście–Heringsdorf tourist promenade. You could cycle through here without even realising you’re crossing the national border, were it not for the distinctive steel gate. This is one of many examples showing that, from the perspective of residents of the border region or tourists, the Polish-German border today is purely symbolic. The Border Gate lies on the EuroVelo 10 cycle route. This is also where the Velo Baltica route begins – the West Pomeranian section of the international cycle routes comprising the aforementioned EuroVelo 10 and EuroVelo 13 (the Iron Curtain Trail). You can also cross the border in Świnoujście by cycling along Wojska Polskiego Street and then along Swinemünder towards the town of Ahlbeck.

he route in the southern part of the island is particularly interesting. From Świnoujście, follow the ‘Around the Szczecin Lagoon’ route to the charmingly situated village of Kamminke, which boasts, amongst other things, a harbour, a marina and a beach. Following the route named after this cross-border body of water, you’ll explore further picturesque landscapes, villages and towns, such as Garz, Zirchow, Dargen (where the GDR Museum is well worth a visit), Stolppe (with its 16th-century castle) and the island’s largest town – Usedom – with its historic market square. You can continue the journey southwards along the route, or take any loop around the island and return to Poland via the seaside resort of Heringsdorf and the aforementioned border crossing.

A village that brings people together

Another extremely attractive cross-border option is cycling in the vicinity of Nowe Warpno, once again following the ‘Around the Szczecin Lagoon’ route, but this time along the southern shore of the lagoon. It is in this area that there is a very charming route linking Nowe Warpno and Rieth, a village situated on Lake Nowowarpieńskie. Nowe Warpno is famous for its unique half-timbered town hall, historic old town buildings and religious architecture (two historic churches). Rieth, meanwhile, is a very well-kept area with several interesting buildings (including an 18th-century half-timbered church and a regional fishermen’s hall). From here, you can head north to Uckermünde, a picturesque, historic port town on the Szczecin Lagoon. From Rieth, it is also worth visiting Altwarp, another exceptionally attractive town situated on the waterfront. During the season (from April to October), the ‘Lutt Matten’ cutter runs from here to Nowe Warpno, allowing you to take your two-wheelers on board.

A Szczecin star

Now that we’re in Szczecin, there are plenty of opportunities for cross-border trips around the regional capital. Let’s start with Lubieszyn. Admittedly, getting there by bike is still a bit of a hassle, as there is as yet no complete and safe cycling infrastructure from either Mierzyn or Dobra, but the situation is improving year on year. The distance is shrinking particularly from the Dobra side, as construction is underway on one section of the cycle path towards Lubieszyn, whilst a tender has been announced for the second section. Perhaps a full connection between Dobra and Lubieszyn will be established in the coming years.

Near Dobra, it is also possible to cross the border via a route running through the forest; head towards the animal shelter and the village of Linken. We then cycle along a dedicated cycle path on a local German route to the village of Schwennenz. From there, take the street called Boboliner Damm heading east (the cobbled street with a pavement turns into a dirt track) and cross the border again at Bobolin. You can read more about this option here: https://rowery.wzp.pl/13598-pomorze-zachodnie-dynie-i-lamy.

The route from Mierzyn to the border is currently at the planning stage. Once we have crossed the Lubieszyn/Linken border, the road opens up westwards towards the towns of Löcknitz and Pasewalk (cycle path alongside Road 104) or southwards towards Krackow. In Löcknitz, the following attractions are worth noting: the remains of the castle, the buildings of the Evangelical church and the former savings bank (now the administrative headquarters of the association of municipalities), and the former school building (now a library and the municipal office). In Pasewalk, a substantial section of the town walls, the Mill Gate (Mühlentor) and the Prenzlauer Tor have survived to this day. The 14th-century St. Marien Church is considered the most interesting religious monument here. From both towns, you can cycle towards the Polish border not only via the aforementioned cycle path along Road 104. The Berlin–Usedom route runs through Pasewalk; following this, you can head north and then turn east towards the village of Krugsdorf (castle, half-timbered church, lake), continuing on to Dorotheenwalde, Rothenklempenow and Buk-Blankensee. Alternatively, from Löcknitz, you can follow the signposted route through the village of Plöwen towards the Buk-Blankensee crossing. It is also possible to head towards Poland via a cycle route through the villages of Ramin and Ladenthin, using a section of the Casekow–Penkun–Oder (CPO) route, which follows the route of a former narrow-gauge railway. The CPO connects German towns with the Polish municipality of Kołbaskowo (including the Będargowo–Barnisław section). The route runs through picturesque borderlands and intersects with the road from Warnik to Warzymice, built a few years earlier. From here, via Przecław, it’s just a few more kilometres to Szczecin.

Przecław, in turn, lies on the Blue Velo route (linking the Baltic Sea with the Myślibórz Lake District and Kostrzyn nad Odrą), which we’ll follow from the centre of Szczecin (via Piastów Avenue and Południowa Street) towards Kołbaskowo and the border at Rosówek. From here, you can head to Gryfino and continue southwards through the region, or take a detour onto the Odra-Nysa route running along the western bank of the Oder. It’s worth noting that this will soon also form part of the northern section of the Berlin–Szczecin–Kołobrzeg route.

Sticking to the existing routes, depending on time and circumstances, we can plan a longer ride to visit our neighbours and cycle through the Brandenburg countryside. If we have less time, we can do a cross-border loop, for example via Mescherin, Gartz, Tantow and Rosówek. On the way, between Gartz and Tantow, we come across the former railway embankment that once connected the villages (marked on maps as ‘bhf Gessow’). It is mostly a hard-packed dirt track, along which we pass, amongst other things, the former Gessow station, and what is probably the biggest attraction in this picturesque, uninhabited area – the Salveymühle mill, which now operates as a tourist attraction and a venue for conferences and similar events.

We then follow the road to Tantow, where we once again join, amongst others, the Odra-Nysa cycle route. At the local railway station, we’ll find one of the cycle hubs, where there are numerous signposts indicating routes in various directions. This includes the route to Szczecin.

If, on the other hand, you decide to continue south along the Odra-Nysa trail, it’s worth crossing the border at Osinów and then making a detour to Cedynia. Along the way, you’ll find, amongst other things, the famous Czcibora Hill with its Eagle monument commemorating Mieszko I’s victory over the forces of Margrave Hodon. You can read more about the Cedynia Loop here: https://rowery.wzp.pl/12541-pomorze-zachodnie-cedynska-petla-rowerowa.

A gem on the Oder

Another iconic spot on the map of Polish-German routes is the European Bridge in Siekierki. The bridge is a magnificent vantage point offering an impressive view of the Odra floodplains and marks the start of the Western Lake District Cycle Route. The structure we cross today was opened in 1930 as a railway bridge and served as an extension to a crossing that had existed since the 19th century. Remnants of this older structure can still be seen today from the restored bridge, which now serves as a footpath and cycle route. In 2021, reconstruction work on the section on the Polish side was completed. A year later, the German section of the bridge was opened. This created a footpath and cycle route with a covered viewing platform, all set against the picturesque backdrop of the Cedynia Landscape Park. The crossing also serves as another link to the German Oder-Neisse route, allowing visitors to explore areas further inland within the federal state of Brandenburg. It is approximately 80 km from Berlin’s administrative borders. It is no coincidence that one of the branches of the new Berlin–Szczecin–Kołobrzeg route will soon pass through here. Signposting for the route is due to appear here in the coming months, and the entire loop, spanning nearly 800 km, will be ready in a few years’ time. Over 80 km of new infrastructure is being built between Stepnica and Rymanów, whilst the rest will follow existing routes, which will be signposted as numbers 800 and 801.

This article is co-funded by the European Union under the project entitled ‘Berlin–Szczecin–Kołobrzeg Cycle Route’, implemented as part of the Interreg VI A Mecklenburg-Vorpommern/Brandenburg/Poland Cooperation Programme 2021–2027.