The 282-kilometre (175 mi) themed cycle route ‘Östlicher Backstein-Rundweg’ takes you on an architectural discovery ride through Germany’s Western Pomerania region. The start and finish of this circular route is the Hanseatic city of Rostock, which you can easily reach by train, and your journey into the world of Brick Gothic begins in the heart of its old town.

In addition to small village churches and brick houses, you also visit the famous Hanseatic cities of Stralsund and Greifswald on the five stages of this Collection. In these beautiful cities, you can admire exceptional examples of Brick Gothic buildings. Each individual stage is between 50 and 65 kilometres (31 - 41 mi).

This route is well signposted and mostly runs on asphalt cycle paths or traffic-calmed roads. You’ll find a challenging section on the third stage, where you ride on a cobblestone road for around 25 km (16 mi). Because of this, I recommend riding a bike with good suspension. Apart from that, a road bike is perfectly fine for the other individual stages.

There are numerous places to stay in the Hanseatic cities of Rostock, Greifswald and Stralsund and in the harbour town of Barth; they all have good rail connections. Smaller towns and villages don't usually have as many public transport and hostel options. Therefore, plan your stages into the Vorpommersche Inland a little in advance to ensure stress-free cycling tours.

I hope you enjoy your journey into the world of Brick Gothic!

And if you still haven't had enough of the Brick Gothic, Mecklenburg also offers a Brick Tour: komoot.com/collection/1178433