The best gravel rides in Altmarkkreis Salzwedel

The Salzwedeler Dumme is a left or western tributary of the Jeetze (Jeetzel) in the north of Saxony-Anhalt. Together with the Jeetze, it forms the characteristic network of waterways that gives the historic old town of Salzwedel its special charm. The name "Dumme" by no means has an offensive meaning, but is of Germanic origin (first mentioned in 1343 as de dummen). It most likely derives from the Old Low German "dumb" or Old High German "tumb" for "mute" or "still". The name thus describes the very slow flow rate of the river. The Dumme originates in the west of the Altmark near the Lower Saxony border between the towns of Neuekrug and Höddelsen. It flows relatively straight northeast. At the Tylsen diversion structure, part of its water is diverted into the Alte Dumme if necessary. In the town area of Salzwedel, the river bends north and finally flows into the Jeetze in the Neustadt, directly from the south. www.dumme-salzwedel.de

The Jeetze (later called Jeetzel in its Lower Saxony course) is the lifeline of the Hanseatic city of Salzwedel in Saxony-Anhalt. The approximately 73-kilometer-long river originates in the Altmark and flows into the Elbe near Hitzacker. In Salzwedel, it significantly shapes the cityscape and history. Thanks to the Jeetze, Salzwedel was granted Hanseatic rights in 1263. From the Middle Ages until the 19th century, the river served as an important trade and transport route, via which goods were shipped to the Elbe and further to Hamburg. The city even had its own harbor. Today, the Jeetze winds its way through the historic old town in numerous branches and small canals.

The „Deutsche Haus“ in the Hanseatic city of Gardelegen is a listed, historic half-timbered townhouse. Together with the neighboring town hall, it shapes the historic cityscape on the central market square. The magnificent building at Rathausplatz 2 looks back on a long history. The gable-facing half-timbered building with a hipped gable roof was erected in 1687 after the great city fire, according to the inscription. In earlier times, the building served, among other things, as the residence of the mayor of Gardelegen. Particularly striking are the richly decorated ornamental half-timbers and a centrally placed, flat polygonal bay window. This is located directly above the Neo-Baroque portal, which dates from 1888. For many generations, the building was used as a historic inn and hotel. After extensive renovation work at the end of the 1990s, gastronomy moved into the ground floor. https://www.gardelegen.de/B%C3%BCrgerservice/Anliegen-von-A-bis-Z/Verwaltung/Deutsches-Haus.php?ModID=9&FID=3524.603.1

The town hall, first mentioned in a document in 1241 as a trading and exhibition house, stands in the middle of the historic old town on a triangular town hall square. The finely structured late Gothic brick facade, the arcades with star vaults on the south side, the richly vaulted interiors, the Hausmann Tower with its double lantern, and the coats of arms on the east and west sides make the building one of the most noteworthy in the city. https://www.gardelegen.de/B%C3%BCrgerservice/Anliegen-von-A-bis-Z/Verwaltung/Das-Rathaus-zu-Gardelegen.php?ModID=9&FID=3524.154.1

Today's Kunsthaus Salzwedel was opened in January 1906 as the city's Lyceum. The impressive, neo-Gothic brick building is a cityscape-defining individual and cultural monument and is located in the northern old town. The private initiative of citizens and artists led to the founding of the Kunststiftung Salzwedel in 2012. The initiators' central goal was to create a place for art in Salzwedel. After an extensive, multi-year renovation of the former school building, the Kunsthaus Salzwedel was opened in 2015. Since the beginning of 2016, it has been showing a collection of German expressionist graphics from the collector Gus Kopriva. The carefully renovated house is well suited for filming historical and contemporary material. https://www.mdm-online.de/film-commission/location-guide/kunsthaus-salzwedel

The Gertraudenkapelle in Salzwedel is a listed, late Gothic hall church of Brick Gothic style from the early 15th century. It is located northwest of the old town, immediately in front of the former Bockhorner Tor. Today, the historic building serves as a vibrant meeting place for the Salzwedel youth church https://entdecke-salzwedel.de/ritterhaus/

With a bit of luck, you can observe kingfishers here. Today, many fish (roaches?) of small and large sizes were visible.

1421 built as a hospital chapel, today the youth church of Salzwedel