First Stage “Lower Lusatian Mining Tour”: Senftenberg - Plessa

On the first stage, there is Lake Senftenberg and plenty of industrial heritage to discover. From Senftenberg, you cycle along Lake Senftenberg to Niemtsch. Lake Senftenberg is the best example of successful recultivation. Guests can expect excellent bathing beaches, numerous water sports facilities, marinas and the AmphiTheatre. A detour takes you to the garden town of Marga, Germany's first garden city, once built as a colony for miners, it is considered the most beautiful Lusatian workers' housing estate.
You cycle via Schwarzheide to Lauchhammer and get to know the Grünewalder Lauch recreational area with its campsite, leisure facilities and restaurants. Here you also cross part of the Niederlausitzer Heidelandschaft nature park. The stage destination is Lauchhammer - the town of art casting with the art casting museum and the bio-towers. The bio-towers in Lauchhammer are a unique industrial monument. In the past, they were used for wastewater treatment in the former large coking plant.

Length: 55 kilometres
Start: Senftenberg
Finish: Lauchhammer
Logo/route sign: red devil with bicycle
Route: Senftenberg, Großkoschen, Niemtsch, Schwarzheide, Grünewalder Lauch, Kostebrau, Lauchhammer

Arrival: From Berlin main station take the RE7 to Senftenberg (approx. 2 hours).
Departure: From Lauchhammer take the RB49 to Senftenberg. From here take the RE7 to Berlin Central Station (approx. 3 hours)

Points of interest/background information:

• Senftenberg: Castle and fortress with mining tunnels and exhibition ‘Experience - Mining - Lake District’, Lake Senftenberg, town harbour, new stage theatre
• Großkoschen: Schiefer Turm observation tower
• Brieske (detour): Marga garden city
• Lauchhammer: art casting museum, art foundry, bio-towers, Grünewalder Lauch recreation area with campsite
• Kostebrau: cycle tours and hikes on the history of mining with information boards

Trail conditions/surface: 
mostly asphalted cycle paths and cycle roads, some sections also on side roads, unpaved paths or paved roads, some root break-ups, few gradients

Maps/Literature: 

• Upper Spreewald-Lausitz district, 1:50,000, Sachsen Kartographie GmbH, ISBN 978-3-86843-058-5
• Lusatian Lakeland, 1:50,000, Sachsen Kartographie GmbH, ISBN 978-3-86843-021-9
• Niederlausitz/Lausitzer Seenland, 1:75,000, ADFC regional map, BVA Verlag, ISBN 978-3-87073-783-2