There was one obvious winner when the River Oder became the state border between Germany and Poland almost 60 years ago: nature. The Oder Valley's isolation has made it into a region unique in Central Europe. Undisturbed by human activity, vast expanses of lush, green riverbank meadows, precious forests, flowering dry grassland and moorland full of mystery have been able to preserve the diversity of local flora and fauna. This is ideal for hiking, exploring and relaxing.

In a region, where time seems to stand still in a mysterious way, nature has developed in a way, which has caught up with the visions of conservationists: areas only needed to be marked out before they could be declared national parks or nature reserves. Together with the River Neisse, the Oder forms a kind of backbone for a series of natural landscapes which flow seamlessly into one another, from the Czech border, through Saxony and the waterways of Brandenburg, to Mecklenburg Bay on the Baltic. A widely branching cycle route network and narrow tree-lined avenues will bring you into close contact with nature as you pass through an extremely varied natural and romantic landscape with plenty of cultural and tourist sights.