It was an unbelievably warm and sunny weekend in Berlin. While my family in NJ was still battling freezing temperatures and frost, I went out to enjoy the great weather during another stint on the Berlin Wall bike trail (Berliner Mauerweg). Having left off the previous time at Lipschitzallee and taken the Ubahn (subway) home, I decided that this time I would bike to the start instead. The 15 kilometers through the city weren’t exactly the loveliest. That fact plus me getting lost a few times had me quickly resolved to train it on the way home later in the day. Even though I didn’t feel like I was off to a good start, the day would immediately get loads better.
Lipschitzallee to Wolziger Zeile/Lichtenrade – 8.5 km
As soon as I was on the Berlin Wall bike trail again, the atmosphere quickly changed and I almost forgot that I live in such a populated place. It was still early, even cool enough to wear a jacket, so there was hardly anyone else on the path. The setting became much more rural and green than what I had seen on my way through the city that morning.
The first “landmark” I passed by was the former garbage dump of West Berlin. No, really, I’m not kidding. Since West Berlin didn’t have any surrounding land being completely surrounded by East Germany, they had a contract with the GDR to be able to deposit the waste just outside the wall. It’s now been transformed into a park.
From there it was several kilometers with a large field on the GDR side and Lichtenrade on the west side. Before I knew it, I was at Wolziger Zeile, a street near the S Lichtenrade Sbahn station. Here I met up with Pauline, a coworker who’s joined me on some of the 66-Lakes-Trail.
Wolziger Zeile/Lichtenrade to Kirschbaumallee/Lichterfelde – 11 km
I’m not sure who decided to put these two towns so close to each other, but being named Lichtenrade and Lichterfelde is quite confusing. For Pauline living in one of the two, it wasn’t too far of a trip to reach the Mauerweg, and, boy, am I jealous! It was such a nice ride through woods and fields in this area that the city on the west side of the path was practically invisible. The nice weather had finally brought the cyclists and walkers out in droves. The number of people on the trail seemed to be increasing exponentially as the midday sun got warmer.
We passed several memorials along the way at this section. They are dedicated to people who died attempting to cross the wall, or in some cases, for just getting too close. Many of their families were never told the true reasons for their deaths. Even if the family did know the cause of death, they were forbidden to share this information with others. Having read several of these stories, I noticed a majority of them were 20-30 year old men who would have otherwise lived to see the wall come down during their lifetimes.
Kirschbaumallee/Lichterfelde to Griebnitzsee 14.5 km
One moment on the trail we were surrounded by budding green trees and the next we were engulfed in pink cherry blossoms! It was an incredible sight to see this pedestrian promenade lined with such beautiful trees. Pauline and I commented to each other how lucky we were to be here at the right time with everything in full bloom. The trees are a gift from the citizens of Japan out of joy for the reunification of the German people. Quite appropriate to see them planted in place of the wall.
As if the cherry blossoms weren’t excitement for one day, the map promised us Checkpoint Bravo – another entry point into West Berlin, but less famous than Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin Mitte. Intrigued enough, Pauline decided she would come the next 9.5 km with me to check it out.
We first spent a few kilometers following the Teltow Canal, thankful that the asphalt bike path was juuuust higher than the swamp that was sometimes swallowing up the land on either side of us. Then we took a small tour of a neighborhood in Kleinmachnow before getting into the forest along the Königsweg (king’s path) in Zehlendorf.
When we reached the bridge over the Autobahn E51, we saw Checkpoint Bravo. It was a massive bridge over the highway and then some buildings on the southbound side. Considering the border crossing hasn’t been used for over 25 years, we both remarked that it seemed in fairly good shape. Unfortunately, we didn’t find too much information about the checkpoint in either my Mauerweg guide or on the information panels along the trail.
From here we said our goodbyes and I continued on towards my goal, Glienicker Brücke. It was a further 4 kilometers through the forest on the Königsweg. When I crossed the canal again, I searched the map for Sbahn stations. After nearly 45 km, I was not going to be biking home as well, since I hadn’t enjoyed my early route through the city. Not wanting to take a bus from Glienicker Brücke, I decided to cut the trip 3.5 km short and get on the train at Griebnitzsee instead. This would also make my next start easier as well.
The surprising thing for me about the Berlin Wall bike trail is how easy it is to “get out” of Berlin. The route is certainly more enjoyable to bike than it would be to hike, but it’s a really great ride. I can’t wait for the next sections of the Berlin Wall bike trail!
