Börde-Hamster Cycle Path

The Börde-Hamster Cycle Path

Fertile fields, gentle hills with wide views and villages and towns scattered in the distance – that is the Börde. Join a circuit through the land and experience a nature that consists not only of rolling fields and individual wooded hills but also of a river landscape rich in wildlife. Experience a varied rural life and historically grown towns with a variety of remarkable attractions.

Route: Schönebeck-Bad Salzelmen-Eickendorf-Großmühlingen-Kleinmühlingen-Zens-Calbe-Wespen-Barby-Pömmelte-Glinde-Schönebeck

Visit the salt-influenced town of Schönebeck. The beginnings of salt extraction go back to the 12th century. Starting from the Pfännerschaft in Groß Salze and the village Elmen, Schönebeck gained great importance through the extraction and shipping of salt. With the founding of the spa operation in Bad Salzelmen in 1802, a new chapter in the town’s history began. Be inspired by the sights and cultural events. Explore the old town with its historic market, the river promenade, and the town’s churches and take a break in Bad Salzelmen. Visit the Saltland Museum, St. Johannis Church, and the spa park with a large number of health and wellness offers as well as many cultural highlights.

If you continue following the Börde-Hamster cycle path, you reach the villages of the Magdeburg Börde. Over 1000 years ago, this area was inhabited by Slavs and was first mentioned in a document during the reign of Otto I. Fertile soil consisting of rich black earth and loess has always brought high yields of grain, beets, and potatoes into the farmers’ barns.

In the Börde, members of local clubs maintain various agricultural traditions. In several villages, ring jousting competitions take place on summer weekends, where riders demonstrate their horse-riding skills. Small museums are dedicated to the Peace Race, old vehicles, and the Soil Assessment of 1934. Home festivals are celebrated, and the items collected in local history rooms tell of bygone days. Leaving the villages in the direction of the Saale River, the next destination is the town of Calbe.

Located on a trade route and a river crossing, Calbe was granted market rights as early as 1160. However, residents lived many centuries from vegetable growing. Onions are still grown extensively in this area. Today, the town is developing into a green oasis. The Wartenberg with its animal enclosures, a restaurant, and the Bismarck Tower, as well as the "Green Lung," are popular excursion destinations for Calbe residents and visitors. A walk through the town starting from the market allows you to visit individual sights. Information boards at each viewpoint provide details for tourists.

Via Wespen – known for its half-timbered church – you reach the town of Barby at the confluence of the Elbe and Saale rivers. The medieval town center, marked by the Baroque castle, the churches of St. Johannis and St. Marien, and large parts of the former town fortifications, has been well preserved despite constant threats from history and the Elbe. The town wall, as part of the flood protection system, was extensively renovated after the 2002 flood. Today, you can again fully enjoy the historic atmosphere of the town and the nature along the Elbe and Saale. A new leisure facility is the “Seepark.” A bathing lake with a sunbathing lawn and children's playground as well as gastronomic facilities invite you to linger. Other places on the way back to the starting point of the cycle tour are Pömmelte and Glinde. A landscape with orchards, extensive fields, and small village churches – here you experience rural idyll. A detour to the goat village Glinde and the Lichtmess Museum rounds off the cycle tour at the end. The cycle path leads back to Schönebeck on the Elbe dyke.

Indulge yourself at the gastronomic establishments along the way and enjoy the regional cuisine. Try dishes such as Gehacktesstippe, Pottsuse, Magdeburger Bötel, Kirschklump, or other typical Börde specialties.