Tour entlang des "Grünen Bandes"

<p> The starting point of this round tour, which takes us back to the time of the Iron Curtain, the castles, and ultimately to the era before the arrival of humans, is the medieval town of Heldburg. We thus start in the area of the former GDR, in the then 'restricted zone'. From 1954, this 5-kilometer wide strip along the border could only be entered with special permission. We will remain in this area until shortly before Bad Rodach. First, we will visit Streufdorf, whose two-country museum tells us much about German-German history. Here, in the foundations of the church fortifications, the atmosphere is already medieval. We continue our journey back in time and reach the project Hutelandschaft Rodachaue. Since 2004, this 7-hectare area has been transformed into the primordial state it had before the arrival of the first humans. Wild Konik horses and Heck cattle, storks, amphibians, insects, birds – the biodiversity is impressive. At kilometer 31.5, a cemetery with a memorial in the shadow of an old border tower again reminds us of the fate of the inhumane restricted area: Billmuthausen was destroyed and completely razed on the orders of the GDR government. The tour ends rapidly. Heldburg is reached at the height of the Veste, from which it steeply descends into the old town. There, various dining options await us.</p>