Elbe-Elster: Industrial Heritage, Wine and Nature

Elbe-Elster combines striking evidence of energy history with winegrowing, museum towns and nature experiences. The F60 visitor mine is located in the Elbe-Elster district, south of Lichterfeld. For visitors to the mine, nearby Lake Bergheider is one of the options on site: you can explore it by bicycle, Segway or on a walk along the long beach. This brings together two different sides of a visit: mining history and excursions by the lake.

Industrial history between mine and power plant

The Louise briquette factory in Domsdorf is Europe’s oldest preserved briquette factory; it began operating in 1882. Visitors can experience functioning historic technology and discover steam engines there. Plessa Power Plant is one of Europe’s oldest lignite-fired power plants and has retained its original structure. Authentic power plant technology from the 1920s can be seen there. Plessa Adventure Power Plant is also on the “Coal, Wind and Water Tour” cycling route.

A guided tour of Plessa Power Plant is called the “Path of Coal” and leads through the outdoor bunkers, boiler house, turbine table, control room and transformer area. This means the facility can be explored not only through its preserved structure: the tour also passes through different areas of power plant technology. If you plan to take this tour, check the booking conditions in advance.

Museum towns and historical traces

Four major museums in the Elbe-Elster district have formed a joint museum network since January 2015. The Mühlberg 1547 Museum is dedicated to the meeting of the armies in 1547, which shaped the course of the Reformation, and bears the European Heritage Label. Alongside industrial history, an event from the history of the Reformation is thus a focus of the region’s museum landscape.

The Mühlberg 1547 Museum can be reached by bus routes 433/437 from Riesa, 536 from Falkenberg or Bad Liebenwerda–Koßdorf, and 565 from Bad Liebenwerda. The museum is about 300 metres, or a four-minute walk, from Mühlberg bus station. As timetables may change, check the connections before travelling.

Winegrowing and Kellerstraße in Schlieben

In Schlieben, historic wine cellars and revived winegrowing are closely linked to the Langer Berg. Kellerstraße comprises more than 30 wine cellars dug into the hill since around 1540. Wine has been grown again on the southern slope of the Langer Berg since 1992; more than 2,000 vines of the “Müller-Thurgau” and “Bacchus” varieties now grow there. Kellerstraße and the renewed cultivation offer two different insights into the town’s winegrowing tradition.

On a guided tour, you can discover and taste Schlieben wine. If you want to make this tasting a firm part of your plans, enquire in advance about current options. The 65-kilometre Apple Route also offers a guided tour: it leads to the Pomological Garden in Döllingen. Check the current dates for this visit as well.

Enjoy nature and choose your routes

On excursions with a ranger from the Elbe-Elster-Land Nature Conservation Service, you can identify birdsong, find rare plants and observe animals. These ranger experiences therefore offer a different focus from the industrial and museum themes. As schedules may vary, check the dates if you would like to include an excursion of this kind in your plans.

The Elster Cycle Tour is a circular route that passes old mills and runs through the heart of the Niederlausitzer Heidelandschaft Nature Park. The Apple Route is described as 65 kilometres long and offers a guided tour of the Pomological Garden in Döllingen. This gives you a clear distinction when choosing: the first route focuses on the circuit, mills and nature park, while the second highlights its length and garden experience.

Towns with historic centres in the Elbe-Elster-Land also offer interesting city walks. The range of places to visit therefore extends from industrial sites and museum themes to historic townscapes and nature trails.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Schlieben, Falkenberg/Elster, Elsterwerda, Finsterwalde, Schönewalde, Hohenleipisch, Massen-Niederlausitz, Doberlug-Kirchhain, Wahrenbrück, Gorden-Staupitz, Sallgast, Herzberg, Bad Liebenwerda, Fichtwald, Sonnewalde, Mühlberg, Röderland, Lebusa, Schönborn, Plessa, Gröden.

See the main travel overview: Brandenburg.