Pirelli German Round – The new face of Lusatia, an ever-changing land
The new face of Lusatia,
an ever-changing land
The Lausitz Eurospeedway, more commonly known as the Lausitzring, is the most recently built facility in Germany designed to host competitions for two and four wheels: this is where the World Superbike Championship made its début in 2001, instantly generating a fine spectacle and high emotions for the thousands of spectators who had made their way to the extensive grandstands around the circuit.
WSBK models will be returning to speed round the 4,255 metres of the Lausitzring in the tenth competition planned for this 2016 season and which is scheduled from the 16th to the 18th September.
Together with the other circuit in Oschersleben, this circuit has become a strong pole of attraction for motor enthusiasts, within the scenario of a region, Lusatia, which is in a key phase of development and cultural reconversion.
The area around Schipkau, the municipality from which springs the multifunctional complex of the Lausitzring, offers the opportunity to get to know better the characteristics of the different territories of Lusatia, which has a rich culture and traditions which can be explored in the saddle of your own motorbike. Leaving from Senftenberg, , the tourist heart of the region of the lakes, you reach Dresden, the “Florence of the North”, where you can explore the waterways which constitute the largest artificial lake-based watercourse in Europe.
Senftenberg, in addition to being the most important financial centre in the region, is an evocative location characterised by its iconic bay which winds its way around the namesake lake and which is connected to the neighbouring Geierswalde waterway via the Koschener canal: this area is worthy of a visit, especially in the part which extends around the Castle, a destination where many residents and visiting tourists meet up.
This little German town enjoys a mix of culture and local traditions which strongly mark its identity, such as the local dialect, Sorbian.
You get to discover the pleasure of urban rides as you make your way around, and Seftenberg offers the opportunity to discover in the saddle of your own motorbike the local beauty spots such as the Großkoschen, a neighbourhood with a high concentration of small artisans who were working until the 1950s: the area around the church is certainly worth exploring. The edifice was constructed between 1881 and 1882 in a Neogothical style and has unique characteristics which have been perfectly preserved over the years. The farmhouses of that time – built during the industrial boom period either side of the 1850s - are of particular interest, and are distinguished by truly original architectural features, especially on their façades.
Making your way along the coast of the Seftenberg lake you come across the Niemtscher Park nature reserve, which grew up around the area of the castle along the green pastures where once upon a time grazing animals were bred and where even today certain local species are still kept. The park takes its name from the district of Niemtsch, which grew up during the Fifteenth Century with the characteristics so typical of the towns of Southern Brandenburg: everything gravitates around the delightful circular piazza!
Lusatia is renowned world-wide as the name for the region of the lakes: this is the largest complex in Europe of artificial waterways excavated from the gentrification of the old mining quarries with the objective of creating a tight network of lake-based navigation.
The strong agricultural vocation of the region is the feature which distinguishes the road which from here takes us to the largest centre of the whole region, Dresden. Known by its nickname of Florence of the Elba for its extraordinary artistic and cultural heritage, Dresden is a city which has risen from its own ashes, just like a phoenix, following the heavy Allied bombardments of 1943 from which there only remained a pile of rubble.
Frauenkirche is one of the symbols of the city's renaissance: completely destroyed during the War, it was newly inaugurated around ten years ago. If you stop your own bike opposite the main entrance you can admire the outside: here the original – dark-coloured – stones, which were recovered and re-utilised during the reconstruction, are clearly visible.
The desire to create a link between the past and the present can be discerned in all its uniqueness inside the building, where the frescoes of the dome have been left unrestored. The classical-style beauties of Dresden extend to the majestic structure of the Semperoper, the opera theatre founded in 1841 and “soul” of the city social life thanks to the numerous performances which render it a place of particular vitality and cultural excitement.
Next to the Semperoper you find the famous Zwinger, one of Dresden's best-known and busiest public parks, which is host to a number of splendid baroque mansions and various very popular art galleries. From the historical city centre, once you have crossed the famous Augustbrucke, you arrive at the most creative neighbourhood of the city, Neustadt.
This is where you find a unique and entertaining place, with an eccentric and alternative character: Kunstoffpassage, an arcade formed by five connected courtyards planned and created by various artists using an amazing combination of art and science which fully respects the environment. A visit to the Kunstoffpassage allows the motorcyclist to explore and fully understand the true essence of Dresden and of the whole of Lusatia, that is to say the power to transform oneself and to change one's appearance on an ongoing basis. Neustadt too has mutated from an abandoned and decadent area into a cultural centre of attraction with a high level of creativity.
Lusatia's past was distinguished by its mining extraction activities, which defined and sculpted the area around the Lausitzring by giving it a very particular appearance: some of these factories, silent witnesses of a past life, have been converted into museums or meeting places, like the Besucherbergwerk F60, more widely known by the nickname of the horizontal Eiffel Tower.
This is the transport pontoon for one of the largest structures designed for mineral extraction along the banks of the Bergheider basin, on the road back to the Lausitzring. Thanks to its design and to its enormous dimensions, this steel giant which is 502 metres long has been transformed into an industrial archaeological site which has become one of the most visited in Germany: driving around it is a pleasant experience because it allows you to admire its structure, a symbol of the past which is slowly changing into something with an eye to the future.
This is the same spirit of renewal which has has led to the desire to breathe a new lease of life into the traditional German connection with the motoring world thanks to the construction of the multifunctional facility of the Lausitzring, something which is unique and with a versatile soul.
