Land zwischen Elbe und Weser

The region between the rivers Elbe and Weser invites the visitor on a journey of discovery! Visit the picturesque Hanseatic towns of Stade and Buxtehude in the Stade/Elbe district, or try the delicious, crispy apples from the "Alte Land". Or cycle gently through the Rotenburg district on the Wümme cycle path. The Moorland Express will take you over the Teufelsmoor ("Devil’s Moor") at Worpswede - or would you rather like to try a trip on the peat barge?

Stade - a Maritime Experience

The river landscape of the Elbe is a Pandora's box of mystery tours and surprises. The old harbours, ships, cranes and storehouses tell their own stories. The historic towns and picturesque villages are marked by their maritime heritage. Stade too emphasises its maritime side. Where once ships were unloaded, the goods weighed and, duties paid, waited to continue their journey, can now be found small specialist shops, friendly pubs and cafés with inviting terraces right by the water. The Hanseatic harbour in the centre of the attractive old town with the old "Eibewer" boat "Willi", or the town harbour, near the river, with the museum ship "Greundiek" and the sportsmen's boats moored there demonstrate that Stade's traditional connections with the water and shipping live on.

• More about Stade

Worpswede Artist's Village

What is it that makes Worpswede so unique? It's the mixture of village idyll, the Teufelsmoor ('devil's moor') landscape and an almost city-like range of artistic and cultural activities - which is why Worpswede is often called the artist's village. In the summer you can enjoy a romantic picnic on the moors or the meadows, in the winter you'll be tempted by a skating trip over flooded and frozen meadowland stretching right to the horizon. Peat barge and carriage trips, drawn-out cycling tours, guided artistic and natural tours or evening plays can be combined into truly unusual experiences. Enjoy a stroll through the village and its numerous galleries and little museums.

• http://www.worpswede.de (German)

The Mill Route - Discover Wind and Water Mills

The history of milling in the country district of Rotenburg (Wümme) stretches back for over one thousand years. There used to be a water mill on almost every small river or stream. The existing mills initially tried to keep pace with industrialisation by modernising their operations. Restructuring of the countryside and water economies after the last war, however, led to an increase in the rate of demise of the mills.
The romantic mills still hold an enduring fascination even today and offer a glimpse of life in the days of our ancestors. Mill lovers can admire some particularly interesting historical buildings by bicycle on the mill route. When are you going on the trail?

• http://www.muehlenroute.de (German)

Moorland Express on the Teufelsmoor (Devil's Moor)

The Teufelsmoor is a place of pilgrimage not just for art lovers - train lovers will also find plenty to enjoy there. You can even combine an art trip with the travel experience. The Moorland express travels between Osterholz-Scharmbeck and Stade, also stopping in the artists' village of Worpswede. Nowadays the railbus is mostly used by tourists, who get an unusual view of the moorland landscape. Just like the brown sails of the peat barge or the birch lined embankments along the drainage channels, the Moorland express has become a symbol of the landscape and its colonisation. You can experience the culture and cuisine of the region on numerous special trips.

• http://www.moorexpress.net (German)

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