Great Mill Tour along the Schöps and Neisse Rivers

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59.80 km long
Round trip
Difficulty: medium
Condition: medium
Cycling
  • 5:00 h
  • 59.80 km
  • 336 m
  • 336 m
  • 175 m
  • 296 m
  • 121 m
  • Start: Vierradenmühle, Görlitz
  • Destination: Obermühle, Görlitz
A challenging cycle tour with tourist destinations and various photo stops on the theme of mills.

Mills were vital for the supply of flour. They existed in almost every village. Depending on the circumstances, water or wind power was used to operate the mill. It was only with the invention of the electric motor that the old mills became superfluous. Yet, like the railway, they bear witness to a long-gone romanticism of a profession that is still talked about and dreamed of today. Mills were not only distinguished according to their type of drive and construction, but also according to whether they belonged to a castle, monastery or council mill. There was a grinding obligation and a mill peace. Superstition, legends and mythical creatures are associated with mills.

The miller's job was very diverse. The miller repaired the mill himself if necessary, he took over hauling services, mostly with donkeys. There were not only grain mills, but also saw mills, paper mills, grinding mills, bone mills and several others. The great decline of the mills began with the increasing industrialization at the end of the 19th

 

Detailed information on the mill sites are available at the marked points along the route.

 

Waypoints

Start
Vierradenmühle, Görlitz
© Europastadt GörlitzZgorzelec GmbH, Archiv Europastadt GörlitzZgorzelec GmbH
© Europastadt GörlitzZgorzelec GmbH, Archiv Europastadt GörlitzZgorzelec GmbH

Good to know

Pavements

Street
Asphalt
Gravel

Best to visit

suitable
Depends on weather

Directions

The tour starts at Vierradenmühle right next to the Görlitz Old Town Bridge and heads north along Rothenburger Landstraße and Neißetalstraße to Ludwigsdorf to Kunstmühle. From there it goes back to Klingewalde settlement junction. Follow the main road through the village centre to the western edge, where a windmill once stood. On Klingewalder Weg cross the railway line to Cottbus. At the B115 main road, turn right and stay on the cycle path until you reach the Hornbach crossroad, to get to Ebersbach and the romantic Schöpstal valley behind the former brickworks.

In Ebersbach, take a short detour downstream, heading north to the Niedermühle and then back again, always along the Weiße Schöps River. Follow the Schöpstal hiking trail marked "Grüner Strich" via Morgenseite and Kleine Seite. Unfortunately, the Girbirgsdorf Mühlenhotel is closed. But there are still several millstones on the yard. Follow the road Kleine Seite, cross Girbigsdorfer Straße and continue along the Schöps River. At the end of Girbigsdorf change to the Girbigsdorfer Straße S125 and do not cross the bridge at the entrance to Holtendorf, but stay on the Mittelstraße. Again upstream, always along the road Am Schöps, but now the route runs in a westerly direction to Markersdorf.

In Markersdorf, shortly behind the Durocstein, the Schöps River changes its direction to the south again. Right behind the junction, the Kirchmühle still stood until 2015. Here, only a millstone still bears witness to its former location. A bench invites you to take a break. The tour now continues in the direction of Friedersdorf.

If the tour is too long for you, you have the option of shortening it in Friedersdorf via the S111 in the direction of Kunnerwitz. In Kunnerwitz, the restaurant "Zur Windmühle" invites tired cyclists to take a break.

If you don't mind the kilometres in the saddle, follow the local road in Friedersdorf to the turn-off to Schönau-Berzdorf. Via Friedersdorfer Straße you will get directly to the Mittelmühle, where several millstones can still be found in the courtyard.

From here, the route follows the main road S128 past Hutberg to Kiesdorf to the former Jäckel-Mühle, which was located at Dorfstraße 59. The route climbs over an old concrete road between Quärgelberg and Knorrberg and crosses over into the Neisse valley to Leuba to the Apelt-Mühle. From here the route follows the Oder-Neisse cycle path back to Görlitz. In Hagenwerder you have the choice of a short detour to the former Wassermühle in Tauchritz or to the Alte Mühle in Radmeritz / Radomierzyce in Poland. If you feel thirsty for coffee, you can visit the Mühlencafé in Radmeritz. The alternative would be to end the excursion at the Obermühle with a home-brewed beer. From the Obermühle you cycle north along the Oder-Neisse cycle path back to the Vierradenmühle.

Tour information

  • Cultural Interesting

  • Loop Road

  • Stop at an Inn

Equipment

roadworthy bicycle, bicycle helmet, rucksack (approx. 20 litres) with rain cover, comfortable sport shoes, weatherproof and hard-wearing clothing in multiple layers, bicycle tyre, cycle tools, sun and rain protection, provisions and drinking water, first aid kit, pocketknife, mobile phone, if necessary headlamp and reflectors, map

Directions & Parking facilities

  •      z Drážďan po dálnici A4 na křižovatku Görlitz (94) a dále po B6 a B99 směrem do centra/starého města.     z Cottbusu přes B115 a dále po B6 a B99 směrem do centra/starého města.     z Vratislavi (Breslau) přes A4 na křižovatku Görlitz (94) a dále po B6 a B99 směrem do centra/starého města.     z Bautzenu/Löbau po silnici B6 na křižovatku Görlitz-Rauschwalde a dále po Wiesbadener Straße a Reichenbacher Straße směrem do centra/starého města.     ze Žitavy po silnici B99 směrem do centra/starého města.Další informace najdete na  https://www.visit-goerlitz.com/Arrival.html
Parking is possible on the Obermarkt or in the Old Town car park.
Take bus line A/D from railway station to the Stadtpark or Hochschule stop. You can also take bus line D to the Nikolaiturm stop. You can find further information at: https://www.goerlitztakt.de/en/

Additional information

For further information, visit www.oberlausitz.com and www.oberlausitz.com/radregion.

Literature

Mühlen der Oberlausitz - einst und jetzt  ISBN: 978-3941908-72-7 

Author

Europastadt GörlitzZgorzelec GmbH

Organization

Das Landschaftswunderland Oberlausitz

License (master data)

Europastadt GörlitzZgorzelec GmbH
License: Attribution, ShareAlike

Author´s Tip / Recommendation of the author

During your tour, visit the Old Café in Radomierzyce on the Polish side of the Neisse. At the end of the tour, we recommend stopping at the Obermühle inn. You should not forget to plan a detour to the historic old town of Görlitz.

Safety guidelines

This route is not signposted.

Map

 

 

Görlitz, Löbau und Umgebung Königshainer Berge, Berzdorfer See von SACHSEN KARTOGRAPHIE GmbH Dresden ISBN: 978-3-86843-096-7

Görlitz, Löbau, Reichenbach/OL  - Radwander- und Wanderkarte Dr. Barthel Verlag ISBN: 978-389591-142-2

Nearby

Getting there

Great Mill Tour along the Schöps and Neisse Rivers
02826 Görlitz