Ilmenau Drawbridge, Bardowick – Hohenbrücke over the River Ilmenau loop from Wittorf

Bike touring routes & trails

Ilmenau Drawbridge, Bardowick – Hohenbrücke over the River Ilmenau loop from Wittorf

Easy

riders

Ilmenau Drawbridge, Bardowick – Hohenbrücke over the River Ilmenau loop from Wittorf

01:01

17.5km

40m

Cycling

Easy bike ride. Great for any fitness level. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: September 24, 2026

Tips

Includes a segment in which cycling is not permitted

After 4.89 km for 88 m

Waypoints

Start point

Bus stop

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3.58 km

St. Peter and Paul Cathedral Bardowick

Highlight • Religious Site

Old Romanesque cathedral from the time when Bardowick was even more important than Lüneburg. If you are looking for the cathedral, you have to go into town and look for the following streets: at the cathedral, cathedral street.

Like the previous building documented in 1146, the church was a collegiate church that belonged to a mission cell of the Amorbach monastery. Originally made of wood, the church suffered considerable damage after the destruction of Bardowick by Henry the Lion in 1189, as documented by a papal document from 1194. From this previous building there are only spoils in the area of the St. Stephen's Chapel to the west and the towers. Blocks from the Lüneburg Schiltstein (stone containing gypsum from the Lüneburg Kalkberg) were used here. The Romanesque portal, which is protected by the chapel in front, was also built from this stone, which is slightly weathered.

Surviving letters of indulgence from 1236 and around 1300 indicate that funds were raised for the construction of a new church on the old site. The financing is then secured from 1381 by a chapter resolution of the monastery and other letters of indulgence.

The octagonal towers were built from brick around 1300. Further construction was delayed and began in 1389 with the construction of the choir. It has three bays with a 7/10 degree, is 28 meters long and 12.80 meters wide. The main house is four yokes in length. Individual bricks could be dated to a period from 1390 to 1409 based on stamp impressions, since the stamp is identical to that of the bricks in Lüneburg's St. Michael's Church.

The roof truss can be dated dendrochronologically to 1405 or 1428. The choir stalls were created in 1487. The vestibule built at this time in front of the south portal, as can be seen in the older depictions, has now been demolished again. The wooden sculpture of a seated lion above the south portal, which has a gilded lead coat and the inscription Vestigium Leonis, remained from it.

The cathedral is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., in the summer months (April to September) until 5 p.m.

Source: Wikipedia

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4.93 km

Viti Tower and Churchyard (Bardowick)

Highlight • Religious Site

The testimonies of the history of the Viti Tower go back to the 12th century. During the Thirty Years' War, the St. Viti Church was destroyed. It was probably destroyed in 1627 by the burning of Bardowicks by Danish troops. The old church tower also burned down. The damaged bell was repaired during the reconstruction of the tower. The bell's inscription reads: "This bell belonged to the burgers at Bardowick and was rebuilt in 1657. Was Ambstvoget Peter Weye andt were cyclists Hinrich Feling Lenert Fulman Peter Ditmers Paul Voss has poured me into Luneburg." In the years 1945/1946 the tower was heavily damaged again. The rapid reconstruction (already about 10 years after the end of the war) testifies to the rapid economic recovery of the patch town Bardowick by the vegetable industry as the main industry. The new construction of the tower on the northern edge of the St. Viti cemetery was apparently no longer as a church tower, but only intended as an isolated bell tower.

The bell of the tower had several functions in its history. It served the spot Bardowick as a storm bell for special cases, e.g. in case of fire, approach of enemies or other emergencies. In normal operation of the Patch Administration, the bell called the citizens to Eddag's annual prescribed meetings in front of the Guildhall. The departure of a ship with vegetables to Hamburg was also announced by the bell. According to oral tradition, the task of ringing the bell as a real load on the site "Great Road 5".

Nowadays, the bell is only rung at the turn of the year.

Source:
fit-durch-gemuese.de/neu/index.php/der-vititurm.html

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5.44 km

Gildehaus Local History Museum Bardowick

Highlight • Historical Site

On 4 December 2005, the new historic exhibition on the history of Bardowicks in the guildhall (1632, two-tier house) was opened. That this was possible is the result of an initiative of the windmill club. In discussions with the administration of the spot, the latter has managed to preserve the museum of local history and continue to operate with its own volunteers in the interest of all its fellow citizens. In order to make the museum more attractive, the previous exhibition was completely revised together. The exhibition illustrates Bardowick's long history under the title "A Village Through the Ages". In the Middle Ages, the place was an important trading center on the border of the German Reich. Only the destruction by Henry the Lion in 1189 ended this period of flowering. Lüneburg now took its place. As a religious center, the place was still of considerable importance. The medieval cathedral and the Nikolaihof are still visible evidence of this time. In the following years, Bardowick developed into an important center of seed and vegetable trade in northern Germany. The work in the countryside shaped the daily lives of the people. Although there are now some businesses in Bardowick, agriculture is still of great importance.

Opening hours:
Tuesday to Sunday from 15.00 - 17.00 clock

Sources:
molina-bardowick.de/html/gildehaus_2005.html
bardowick.de/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-2190/4197_read-24767
ndr.de/ratgeber/reise/lueneburger_heide/Historischer-Spaziergang-durch-Bardowick,bardowick101.html

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5.79 km

Ilmenau Drawbridge, Bardowick

Highlight • Bridge

Endpoint of the bike path Lüneburg to Bardowick. One of the landmarks of Bardowick.

At the Viti-Furth, the steel bascule bridge from 1965 leads over the Ilmenau. It was inaugurated on 9 April after 8 months of construction

The crossing of the Ilmenau has been at this point at an early stage. According to history, here in 782 Marianus, who taught the Gospel in Bardowick, was slain.

A bridge, however, was first mentioned here in documents in 1059. The medieval engravings by Frese and Schlöpken already show the construction of a bascule bridge.

The last wooden bascule bridge dates back to 1888. It is now mentioned in some written essays that it was rebuilt after its demolition in 1964 in the Technical Open-Air Museum in Hagen (Westphalia) as a museum piece. However, research by webmaster "bardowick.com" has shown that this statement is unfortunately not correct. From a Bardowicker bridge there is nothing known.

Source:
bardowick.com/sehenswertes/fr.htm

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5.93 km