A horse on the horseshoe route? Cyclists will certainly discover one along the 105-kilometer route through the TERRA.vita Nature and UNESCO Geopark. But it's actually much more than that. Firstly, the cycle route literally forms a horseshoe-shaped arc around Osnabrück. It leads along the ridges of the Wiehengebirge and Teutoburg Forest through charming cultural and natural landscapes, through Belm, Bissendorf, Georgsmarienhütte, Hagen a.T.W., Hasbergen and Wallenhorst.

Secondly, the Horseshoe Route covers a wide range of topics from the Ice Age to the Stone Age and industrial culture: cyclists can learn about the very special history of each location at 46 architectural and natural monuments. At the old Hollage quarry, for example, you can look back millions of years into the history of the earth. In the Vehrte erratic boulder garden, they learn that the glaciers of the Ice Age pushed huge granite blocks from Scandinavia to this place. Around 5,000 years ago, people used these erratic blocks to build huge megalithic tombs such as the Jeggen megalithic tomb and, almost 1,200 years ago, the foundations of the Old St. Alexander Church.

Also along the way are historic railroads and castle ruins, monasteries and cherry trees from the Deutsche Genbank Obst, an old mining shaft and a half-timbered parish house with a pottery museum. The stories about all these places are told by local guides - via cell phone, which responds to a QR code or the appropriate telephone number on site.

In addition, cyclists can learn about legends and tales at the central info points in the six main stage locations - about the dragon of Wallenhorst, a haunted spinner and Hüggel dwarves, werewolves, the ghost dog of Bissendorf and the devil's oven.

A little superstition can't hurt when you're already out and about on the Horseshoe Route.

The Hufeisen guides are certified tour guides who offer individual tours in the Hufeisen municipalities and on the Hufeisen Route. All important information about the guided tours and booking options can be found here.

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