Kostrzyn - Carthage of the East

Start: Frankfurt (Oder) train station
Destination: Kostrzyn nad Odra station
Length: 39 km
Duration: pure travel time by bike 4 hours. The walk on the site of the former Küstrin Fortress takes about 40 minutes.
Arrival: with the RE 1 from Berlin to Frankfurt (Oder)
Departure: with the RB 26 from Kostrzyn to Berlin-Ostkreuz
Condition of the paths: mostly paved cycle path, stretch of the Oder-Neisse cycle path
Attractions:

• Küstrin fortress
• Plaque commemorating the execution of Hans-Hermann von Katte
• Museum of the fortress Küstrin

In order to get to Küstrin, which was first mentioned in a document in 1232 and received city rights from Margrave Albrecht of Brandenburg III in 1300, it is advisable to drive from Frankfurt (Oder) along the western bank of the Oder. On the Polish side, the path on the top of the dam is not continuously passable and as a cyclist you have to drive on a well-frequented main road.

On the scenic stretch of the Oder-Neisse cycle path between the Kleiststadt Frankfurt (Oder) and the city Kostrzyń nad Odrą on the slopes of the Oder bank not far from the historic bishopric of Lebus, you reach the Küstrin fortress over the Oder bridge. Even the view from the bridge lets you feel the breath of the centuries.

For several centuries, Küstrin was the capital of the Neumark region. During this time the castle was built and the fortress was completed. The Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm I had Hans-Hermann von Katte, the friend of his son Friedrich II, executed in front of his eyes for deserting by beheading on November 6, 1730, after he independently tightened the judgment of the court. A plaque on the wall of the fortress is dedicated to the event.

Much has been done since 1994 to uncover the old fortifications, which were destroyed during World War II and used to rebuild Poland's capital after the war. At present, the old streets as well as the foundation wall and the stairs that lead into the no longer existing buildings can be recognized. In order to convey the image of the complex to the visitor of the fortress, photographs and other pictures are exhibited in the restored rooms of the basement of the Bastion Philipp.