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Bicycle tour along the border line: stories that move!
On July 19, 2025, experience a bicycle tour through northwest Mecklenburg that explores historical border towns and makes contemporary witnesses audible.
Bicycle tour along the border line: stories that move!
A unique opportunity will soon be offered: On Saturday, July 19, 2025, the bike tour “Border incidents between Schlagsdorf and Kneese” will take place. This event, which starts at 1 p.m., takes participants over a distance of 25 kilometers along the former border line between East and West Germany. Along the way, participants can experience the impressive nature of the Green Belt and the history of the former GDR border controls up close.
Under the expert guidance of Wolfgang May, a former Federal Border Guard official and contemporary witness, and Werner Daubner, who lived in the GDR border village of Dutzow until 1975, the participants gain deep insights into personal fates and historical events. Daubner will talk specifically about his 1975 attempt to escape via Goldensee. Special stops on the tour are the memorials that commemorate the border deaths Harry Krause (1951) and Harry Weltzin (1983). A visit to the external area of the Grenzhus with reconstructed barriers will also be part of the program, as well as an exploration of places associated with the opening of the border.
A moving piece of history
The theme of this bike tour is not just a trip into the countryside, but also an examination of the dark history of the GDR border regime. According to the biographical handbook “The Fatalities of the GDR Border Regime on the Inner German Border 1949-1989,” published in 2017, it documents 327 deaths related to these border controls. The darkness of this past is illustrated by the majority of victims, who were between the ages of 18 and 25 and often came from the GDR. More than half of the documented deaths are due to the use of firearms by the border police and other armed forces.
The differences to the previous period are striking: Before the Wall was built, there was still “small border traffic” between East and West Germany, which, however, was viewed as illegal by the GDR. As a result of the events following the construction of the Wall on August 13, 1961, security measures were drastically tightened. The use of firearms and mining technology was regulated by strict instructions, resulting in a high death toll, including for many border guards who suffered immense psychological pressure.
Participation details
For anyone interested: Participation in the bike tour costs 10 euros per person. Registration is required, which can be done at the Grenzhus. Those interested can register by phone on 038875 20326 or by email at [email protected]. This bike tour is not only a sporting activity, but also an opportunity to experience your own history and that of the region up close.
Further information on the historical background can be found at [Nordkurier](https://www.nordkurier.de/regional/nordwestmecklenburg/ Grenzhus-schlagsdorf-bietet-fahrradtour-zu-geschichtstraechtigen-orten-an-3757077), bpb and [Wikipedia](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todesopfer_des_DDR- Grenzregimes) available.