Four stars for the Peace Cycle Route

Münsterland and Osnabrück Land receive award in Berlin

Fittingly for the 375th anniversary of the Peace of Westphalia, the Peace Route, which follows the paths of the post riders between the negotiating cities of Osnabrück and Münster, has been awarded four stars by the German Cyclists' Federation (ADFC). The award was presented at the International Tourism Exchange (ITB) in Berlin as part of the ADFC cycle travel analysis. With the high distinction as a quality cycle route, the ADFC recognises, among other things, the path quality and the course of the route. In addition, the good signposting, the road safety, the closeness to nature and the experience value. Two years ago, the Tourismusgesellschaft Osnabrücker Land mbH and the Münsterland e.V., together with the thirteen neighbouring towns, applied for funding to revise the route and invested a total of around 120,000 euros by the end of the project in 2022. Among other things, a listening station was set up in each town where the stories of the Peace of Westphalia are told as short radio plays in three languages (German, English, Dutch). This also earned the route points.

"Because of the award, we also benefit from additional marketing measures for the route, which the ADFC itself carries out for its quality cycle routes," Michael Kösters from Münsterland e.V. is pleased to say and predicts many cyclists on the route in the 2023 cycling season. Petra Rosenbach from Osnabrücker Land is also enthusiastic: "The success is thanks to our experienced staff, the good cohesion of all the riparian towns and the good cooperation between our regions."

At the same time, both point to the big guided Peace Cycle Tour, which takes place on the Peace Route on the last two weekends in April and is organised with great effort by the tourism organisations. Those interested can register for this tour on the two routes between Münster and Osnabrück in stages at www.friedensroute.de. In addition, the Peace Cycle Tour will be accompanied by an art project by Volker-Johannes Trieb. Together, they will honour the Peace Treaty of Westphalia, which stands for the first diplomatic peace treaty in Europe and continues to have an impact today.

Another piece of good news for the Münsterland cycling region came from the evaluation of the most popular cycling regions in Germany. Kösters reports from the ITB: "In addition to the award for the Peace Route, we are pleased that the Münsterland was able to hold its own in 8th place as the only region in North Rhine-Westphalia in the TOP 10 of the most popular cycle travel regions in Germany."

www.friedensroute.de