This side and that side - Discovery route between Aller and Ecker

Route description

The starting point of the route for the description is at the town hall in Helmstedt. Since it is planned as a circular route, it can be started at any point or shortened if needed.

Right at the beginning of the discovery journey, a visit to the Zone Border Museum in Helmstedt is on the program before the route leads past the former Helmstedt opencast mine to Schöningen, where from the castle you can overlook the marketplace with the historic town hall.

Upon arrival in Jerxheim, the detour to the Heeseberg Tower is mandatory, because from the observation platform you can overlook the entire region and anticipate the route.

At Jerxheim station, the route changes at the Großer Graben into the Harz district and leads to the Mattierzoll-Hessen border monument and thus into the Wolfenbüttel district. Hornburg, the birthplace of Pope Clement II, is the next stage destination and is suitable for an overnight stay. Hotel Schützenhof https://www.schuetzenhof-hornburg.de

The second day starts with the ride over Wülperode with the border relic to Osterwieck. You can already see St. Stephen's Church far on the horizon, and the picturesque old town invites you to linger. Then follows the long climb up to Fallstein, interrupted only by a short stop at the Bismarck Tower. Hessen with the castle and pleasure garden is just as integrated into the route as Pollands Hof in Rohrsheim and the Wasserschloss Westerburg.

(For those for whom the second day with about 76 km is too long, an additional overnight stay is offered here.)

The border monument in Hötensleben is the next destination on the route and the detour to the opencast mine information point and the Schöningen research museum (paläon)

is suitable to end the second day in Schöningen.

Hotel SchlafSchön awaits you.
http://www.schlafschoeningen.de

On the morning of the third day, the border hiking trail Offleben, Sommerschenburg and Marienborn with the historic town center are part of the route before the German Division Memorial Marienborn is reached. Here you should allow enough time to visit the former border crossing point.

Through the Lappwald you come to the Helmstedt Beendorf border teaching path and then to Walbeck, where you have a remarkable view of the Aller Valley from the ruins of the collegiate church St. Mary.

The Aller continues to be your companion until you reach today's stage destination in Oebisfelde with the swamp castle. Overnight stay at Hotel Am Markt.
https://www.hotel-am-markt-oebisfelde.de

On the fourth day, Oebisfelde will be left in a westerly direction, and on the way to Velpke lie not only the Büstedt-Oebisfelde border monument and the Velpke Switzerland, but the district changes again from Börde to Helmstedt.

The path to Grasleben is agriculturally shaped, and already at the entrance to the town you are pointed to the long salt mining tradition of the place by the winding drum.

The final stage leads you through the Lappwald past the watchtowers located there, which are contemporary witnesses of the former Helmstedt landwehr from the Middle Ages.

Back at the starting point, at the train station in Helmstedt, you can look back on four eventful days, and those who prefer a sportier pace can also complete the route faster.