Land and People Tour - in the footsteps of Strittmatter

The writer immortalised places of his homeland in novels and stories. In his autobiographically influenced trilogy of novels "Der Laden" (The Shop), Erwin Strittmatter has his main character Esau Matt regularly get on his bike. Between Grodk, behind which the town of Spremberg is hidden, and the purple Bossdom (Bohsdorf), the novel hero "lumbers" back and forth. The circular tour not only follows this path, but also leads to other places from Strittmatter's works. With a little imagination, they are easy to recognise. Graustein becomes Grauschteen, Schönheide becomes Scheenheede or Bloischdorf becomes Bleischdorf.

A longer stay in Bohsdorf is particularly worthwhile, as Strittmatter's former childhood home has been turned into a museum. The main attraction is the former shop with bakery, where, among other things, the first work "Ochsenkutscher" was written in 1950. This is also where you are most likely to have the opportunity to talk to the Strittmatter Society about the controversial parts of the poet's biography.

On the other hand, things are sweet at the Felicitas confectionery in Hornow, which Strittmatter incidentally called "Gulitzscha". The most beautiful place to rest is the observation tower at Lake Felix.

Length: 43 kilometres

Start/finish: Market square at Spremberg town hall, Am Markt 1

Arrival/departure: 
By train: from Berlin main station take the RE2 to Cottbus and then the RB65 (Zittau) to Spremberg.
Car: from Berlin via the A13 and A15 to Cottbus Süd then via B97 to Spremberg 

Route: Graustein - Schönheide - Reuthen - Felixsee - Bohsdorf - Hornow - Wandelsdorf - Klein Loitz - Bloischdorf - Türkendorf - Weskow

Junction signposting
The day tour "On Strittmatters Wege" can also be cycled along junctions using the new signposting system. The following junctions are passed at the start/finish at Spremberg Market square (junction 57): 57, 41, 63, 64, 65, 19, 17, 16, 15, 18, 28, 29, 28, 85, 84, 86, 87, 88, 87, 89, 62, 69, 32, 31, 48, 47, 45, 54, 55, 57

Sights along the route:

• City park with Bismarck Tower
• Spremberg old town
• Lower Lusatian Heath Museum in Spremberg Castle
• "Old school" Graustein
• Reuthen Manor Park
• Observation tower at Felixsee
• Erwin Strittmatter Memorial "The Shop
• SchokoLadenLand Confectionery Felicitas
• Romy Schneider Museum
• Lower Lusatian Sorbian Village Museum Bloischdorf

Gastronomic tips:

• Kramlädchen and Hofschänke in Felixsee
• The Dörry Small Farm in Hornow
• Café in SchokoLadenLand in Spremberg OT Hornow
• Hotel and restaurant "Zur Wildtränke" in Spremberg OT Weskow
• InselPerle in Spremberg

Maps / Literature

• Cycle map of Lower Lusatia, 1:75,000, bikeline, publisher Esterbauer, ISBN 978-3-85000-921-8, 7.90 euros
• Lusatian Lakeland cycle map, 1:75,000, Verlag grünes Herz, ISBN 978-3-86636-189-8, 7.95 euros
• Cottbus, Spremberg, Forst, Peitzer Teiche and surroundings, 1:50.000, Verlag Dr. Barthel - Schöne Heimat, ISBN 978-3-89591-085-2, 6,90 Euro
• Mit dem Rad unterwegs Region Spree-Neiße, 1:75.000, publishing house Reinhard Semmler GmbH, ISBN 978-3-935826-02-0, 8,00 Euro