Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [556]
Getting Around
Buses leave from the ZOB central bus station at the Hauptbahnhof and from the busy bus stop on Am Sande. Most services stop running at around 7pm. Single tickets are €1.65; day tickets cost €3.80.
For a taxi, call 194 10. Rad am Haupt-bahnhof ( 266 350; per day €10; 6am-8pm Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm Sat & Sun) rents out bicycles.
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NATURPARK ELBUFER-DRAWEHN
Bleckede and the Biosphärenreservat Nieder-sächsische Elbtalaue (Lower-Saxony Elbe Floodplain Biosphere) are located some 20km east of Lüneburg, in a wetland area of the Lüneburger Heide. The reserve is a haven for birdlife such as white storks, wild geese and cranes, and runs for 85km along the Elbe River. Cyclists and hikers will be well rewarded by this picturesque and interesting wetland, which is all part of the Elberadweg (www.elberadweg.de). See the boxed text, Click here, for details on cycling in the area. If you intend to come out here, make sure you drop by the tourist office in Lüneburg first. You should find that it is well stocked with brochures on accommodation and activities that are available in the area.
For information by telephone or accommodation bookings, call the tourist information office ( 05852-958 458; www.elbtalaue-touristik.de, in German; 8am-5pm) in Bleckede. The Elbschloss Bleckede ( 05852-951 40; www.elbschloss-bleckede.de, in German; Schlossstrasse 10; adult/child €5/2.50; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct, 10am-5pm Wed-Sun Nov-Mar) offers a telephone and walk-in information service on the biosphere.
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Getting There & Around
No trains run to Bleckede, but the 5100 bus (€2.70, 30 minutes) leaves at least hourly from Lüneburg at Am Sande or the Hauptbahnhof.
If you’re going by car, the B216 leads to the turn-off to Bleckede. A car ferry crosses the river at the turn-off and in Neu Darchau to the south.
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SOUTH & EAST OF HANOVER
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HILDESHEIM
05121 / pop 103,600
Though not an overly attractive or exciting city, Hildesheim has a couple of important sights that have visitors flocking to this former bishopric and market town: a pretty, post-WWII ‘medieval’ town centre, and genuinely ancient cathedral-door bas-reliefs, which were cleverly saved from the firebombing that razed Hildesheim to the ground on 22 March 1945. A legendary ‘1000-year-old’ rosebush that re-emerged from the ashes of this attack also attracts pilgrims.
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Orientation
The central Markt is 750m south of the Hauptbahnhof. To walk there from the station, take the pedestrianised Bernwardstrasse, which becomes Almsstrasse and Hoher Weg. Turning left, or east, from Hoher Weg into either Markstrasse or Rathausstrasse will lead you to Hildesheim’s stunning centre, and the tourist office.
Continuing along Hoher Weg, instead of turning left for the tourist office, you hit Schuhstrasse, a central bus stop. To the right (west), the road heads to the cathedral and the Roemer- und Pelizaeus-Museum. Straight ahead across Schuhstrasse you’ll find the drinking strip of Friesenstrasse and, 10 minutes further south, the old Jewish quarter.
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Information
Main post office (Bahnhofsplatz 3-4; 8.30am-6pm Mon-Fri, to 1pm Sat)
Netcafe ( 697 7044; Wollenweberstrasse 80; per hr €1.50; 9am-10pm Mon-Fri, from 11am Sat & Sun) Internet access.
Tourist Office Hildesheim ( 179 80; www.hildesheim.de; Rathausstrasse 20; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, to 3pm Sat) Information and accommodation bookings.
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Sights & Activities
For just €1, the tourist office sells the Hildesheimer Rosenroute, a very comprehensive guide to all of Hildesheim’s sights. It’s available in several languages, including English, and is particularly useful if you’re staying a few days.
MARKT
One of the tragedies of Hitler’s excursion into megalomania was the horrendous damage inflicted upon once-magnificent architectural gems such as Hildesheim. After WWII, key parts of the old town were lovingly reconstructed, and the result