When Germany was divided, a seven-hundred-kilometer-long border from the Baltic Sea to the Czech Republic existed. Without human life, but with a chance for nature to recover undisturbed. After the German reunification nature protection organizations worked on keeping this area as a nature protection zone and as in important migration path for animals. They called it Grünes Band (green stripe).
Today you can hike on most parts of this area, only to small extent it has been reused for farming. You can follow the former border military roads and every now and then discover remains of the former border: border stones, marker columns and sometimes memorials for the victims of the border.
In my region the best section is between the Natur-Erlebniszentrum Gut Herbigshagen (operated by the Heinz-Sielmann-Stiftung) and the Grenzlandmuseum Eichsfeld. This ten-kilometer-long hike takes you from a wonderful nature experience place to the borderland museum where you can see the former border protection measures and learn about the separation of Germany.
At Teistungen you can also take a nice detour to the Pferdeberg with the Pferdebergturm where people from the West of Germany had the chance to look to the Eastern part. And there is also a good restaurant where you can recover before getting back.
Grünes Band / Pferdeberg
Teistungen
Germany
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