Germany: a bike ride along the Cold War borderlands - Telegraph (original) (raw)

“Just talking to you about the Fall of the Wall in 1989 is giving me goose bumps,” Mrs Herrlich said, rubbing her forearms vigorously. In the village of Schleid, her inn is a mile from the border that divided a nation for 45 years. “Guests tell me that it must have been a dream come true, but here in the East we never, ever thought that Germany would be reunited.”

At the geographic centre of the country, the federal state of Thuringia has been home to many cultural titans, from Luther and Bach to Goethe and Schiller. But I was here to explore the legacy of the event that changed the world 25 years ago. My journeys involved pedalling along some of Europe’s best car-free cycle trails, walking through dense woodland and staying in simple country inns, taking in along the way ruined castles and lively market towns – and a host of memories of a moment that took everyone by surprise.

I started at Point Alpha. The westernmost tip of the Eastern bloc, this was the “hottest spot in the Cold War”. Up on a ridge spiked with watch towers, Warsaw Pact troops eyeballed US soldiers, just 200 yards away. Now a memorial to those who served, stood and waited, this observation post “is where they expected World War Three to start”, according to Karl, my guide. Indoors, exhibitions of photographs, uniforms and vehicles recreate the East-West tension. Outside, I could see how every escape attempt would have faced ever more treacherous obstacles: concrete, metal, trenches, barbed wire, trip wires, mines. Karl, who has always lived in the West, remembers 1989. His grandfather talked fondly about the Goldenen Stern tavern. It was just down the hill in Geisa, but that was in the GDR: “The first thing I did when the Wall fell was to walk over there and have a beer in his memory,” he said.

Treetop canopy walk in Hainich National Park, formerly an East German shooting range. Photo: Alamy

It was during a live televised news conference on November 9 1989 that Günter Schabowski changed history with a slip of the tongue. In answer to a journalist’s question, the East German Communist Party Politburo spokesman inadvertently said that crossing points would open with “immediate effect”. The world saw the jubilation in Berlin on television, but Thuringians, particularly those living close to the frontier, were more circumspect, unsure if barriers really would be raised on their section of the 870-mile “Inner German Border”.

Twelve miles north of Point Alpha is Vacha. Here, the fortified boundary not only separated this medieval village from neighbouring Philippsthal, but also sliced straight through the white house that still stands at the northern end of the medieval bridge. “As we were right on the line, we waited three days before we crossed the River Werra to the West,” the mayor recalled. “That’s why we always celebrate our freedom on November 12.”

Farther away from the border, there were many quiet protests in 1989. In Eisenach, in the 16th-century church where Martin Luther sang in the choir and Bach was baptised, mothers and grandmothers gathered for “prayers for peace”. “When the Volkspolizei, the police, came to break up these vigils, they told us, ‘We are the People’s Police,’ ” town guide Connie remembered. “We replied, ‘Wir sind das Volk’ – ‘We are the people.’ As the demonstrations outside St George’s grew noisier, the chants changed: ‘Wir sind ein Volk‘ - we are one people. ”

Set on a crag above Eisenach, the Wartburg is one of Germany’s most imposing castles. Luther translated the New Testament here and Wagner found inspiration for the opera Tannhäuser. With strict limitations on international travel, this fortress was a popular destination. “I came to a concert here after the Wall fell,” a castle guide recalled. “After 40 years of living in the GDR, I still remember the shock of hearing the ‘other’ German national anthem played live for the first time.”

Wartburg Castle sheltered Martin Luther and provided inspiration to Wagner. Photo: Getty Images

Perhaps surprisingly, the Iron Curtain era did result in some benefits. Close to Eisenach, a former military shooting range is now a Unesco World Natural Heritage site: the Hainich National Park. From the 1,700ft-long treetop canopy walk, I looked down over Europe’s finest ancient beech forest which, in autumn, is a tapestry of gold and bronze. On the ground are 80 miles of hiking and cycling trails. “Our motto is ‘Let nature be nature’,” Jens, a ranger, said with pride. “The Hainich is currently 92 per cent wilderness; we even have lynx living here.”

An hour north-west of the forest is Germany’s first border museum, the Grenzmuseum Schifflersgrund. While Point Alpha is a recreation of Cold War days, the scene here is chillingly real. Along the curve of open ground that slices through the woods, a line of steel mesh runs for nearly a mile – the longest remaining section in the country. Next to displays of military vehicles is a green tractor. In 1982, Heinz-Josef Grosse, a would-be escapee, drove it up to the perimeter, manoeuvred the backhoe loader over the barbed wire and clambered up. But he forgot to take his bag. Going back for his possessions cost him his life. The guards spotted him and fired.

Sixty miles east of the border is Thuringia’s handsome capital. With its cafés and smart boutiques, Erfurt looks more West than East. But “Ostalgic” reminders remain. The ring road is still named after the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin; before crossing at traffic lights, pedestrians wait for the Ampelmann, East Germany’s own jolly green man, to appear. And, on an office building facing the station, giant letters spell out: Willy Brandt ans Fenster: Come to the window, Willy Brandt. That message commemorates the West German chancellor’s first East-West summit meeting in 1970. As one local recalled, that was the first sign of a thaw in the Cold War: “We went to the station square and started chanting, 'Willy, Willy, Willy’. He came to the window and waved. It gave us hope.”

As I strolled through the medieval streets in the warm sunshine, those dark days seemed far away. But the past became the present when I entered the old Andreasstrasse prison. Two floors of the century-old city jail were the domain of the Stasi (secret police). They brought in citizens for “clarification of facts”, took their belongings and identified them by number. Between 1952 and 1989, more than 5,000 political prisoners were remanded here.

The border was strengthened in 1962 to stop the flow of migrants from east to west. Photo: Alamy

The shabby steel-gated cells provide a disturbing memorial. “Prisoners were checked every five to eight minutes; lights were turned on every 20 minutes. Inmates had to sleep in the ‘correct’ position, on their backs with their arms on their chests,” a guide explained. “Many ex-prisoners still sleep that way.” But the final part of the exhibition is devoted to what Germans proudly remember as the Peaceful Revolution. “The protesters’ motto was Keine Gewalt, No violence,” I was told. They carried lighted candles because “if you had a candle in your hand, you couldn’t throw bricks”.

My favourite story? That had to be from Christian, the bike rental company rep. “As a kid, the only reason you pedal up a hill is to freewheel down the other side.” Growing up in Thuringia, the border was at the crest of his local mountain. Every time he biked up there, he was turned back by an armed guard. “My grandfather had always told me about the long ride down the other side, but that went into West Germany.”

The morning after the Wall fell, 25 years ago, “my dad woke me up and said, ‘Chris, today, you can cycle down the other side of the mountain.’ ”

Thuringia essentials

Getting there

Germania (0049 1805 737100; flygermania.de) offers flights from London Gatwick to Erfurt (Mondays and Thursdays; from £47 one-way). Fred (0808 159 5256; fredholidays.co.uk) offers seven-night packages in Thuringia from £869 per person, based on two sharing. This includes return flight from Gatwick to Erfurt, car hire and accommodation, with breakfast.

Where to stay

The Mercure in Erfurt is a modern, business-oriented hotel with 141 rooms in the city centre. Doubles from €65/£52, with breakfast (361 59490; mercure-hotel-erfurt.de). Landhotel Zur Pferdetränke, in the village of Schleid (near Point Alpha), has a garden and paddock with horses. Simple, modern, spotlessly clean. From €60/£48, including a hearty breakfast (36967 70184; zurpferdetraenke.de). Schloss Goldacker, in Weberstedt (Hainich National Park), is a renovated, rambling manor house, with 14 spacious, plain but comfortable rooms. From €75/£60 including breakfast (36022 999404; hotel-goldacker.de). Steigenberger Hotel Thüringer Hof in Eisenach, is a central, grand 126-room hotel, with a stylish restaurant. From €60/£48; breakfast extra (00800 78468357; de.steigenberger.com).

Eating out

Breakfasts are copious: cheeses, cured meats, yogurts and cereals. Taverns serve traditional dishes, such as rostbratwurst (grilled meaty sausages), venison goulash, local trout, Klösse (potato dumplings) and giant salads. Order well-priced beers, Apfelschorle (sparkling apple juice), Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake).

What to see and do

The West/East border is being transformed into an 870-mile “Green Belt”, with wildlife, hiking trails and gems, such as 14th-century Hanstein Castle (erlebnisgruenesband.de). For an in-depth tour of Point Alpha, book an English-speaking expert (€40/£32 for two hours; pointalpha.com/en). Travel-Butler (radfahren-in-thueringen.info) offers cycle tours, including accommodation and luggage transfers. It also delivers bikes to, and collects them from, your hotel, so you can create your own route. Love cars? Automobile Welt Eisenach is in one of the world’s oldest car plants, where BMWs were built in GDR days (awe-museum.de). In Weberstedt, Trabiparadies celebrates the Trabant. You can rent one for £4.50 an hour; £31 a day, plus 55p per km (trabiparadies.de). Entry to attractions and museums is cheap: £1.50-£4.

Further information

Thuringia: visit-thuringia.com; German National Tourist Office: germany.travel.com

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