Kites above Lemwerder – Cycling to the Festival

  • Written by Portal Editor

Kite Festival Lemwerder – hundreds of kites in the sky, thousands of visitors, concerts on the Weser River, hands-on activities, and outdoor children's activities.

We wanted to take part in the spectacle of the Kite Festival near Lemwerder and set off from Bremen city centre for this purpose, a route of around 17 kilometres, almost always within sight of the Weser and mostly away from car traffic on the roof paths.

Lemwerder – Cycling along the Weser river

This brought us to the Ochtum Barrage, located at the confluence of the Ochtum and the Weser. Built in the 1970s, the storm surge barrier serves to protect against flooding in the parts of Bremen west of the Weser, as well as in Delmenhorst and Stuhr. For its construction, the riverbed of the Ochtum and its confluence with the Weser were relocated slightly to the southeast. The barrage has two passages that can be closed by lifting gates during high water. The barrage has a lock for boats, and, presumably due to the still warm day with heavy shipping traffic, there were also sailboats and motorboats.

Also of interest is the Black Lighthouse, located directly behind the Weser dike on a residential street. The 22.5-meter-high tower dates from 1898 and was only replaced by the new Lemwerder leading light line in April 1983. The black, triangular iron lattice tower with a panelled staircase, gallery, and black lantern was acquired by the municipality of Lemwerder in December 1986. It was restored in 1992. Unfortunately, the observation platform is not open to the public.

A little later, however, we reach the Lemwerder observation tower, which is 15 meters high and was built in 2009. It offers a view across the Weser River to Bremen-Vegesack, Werderland, and Lemwerder. Information panels explain, among other things, the radar monitoring and control of shipping traffic by the traffic control centres of the Waterways and Shipping Administration.

Bremen is generally considered a very bicycle-friendly city, and two long-distance cycle routes run through the region. The German Siel Route is a long-distance cycle route through the Wesermarsch district. It is 220 kilometres long and is primarily characterized by the typical Wesermarsch landscape, which is very flat and level except for the dike crossings. The Weser Cycle Route is a 491-kilometer long-distance cycle route from Hann. Münden to Cuxhaven along the Weser.

But now back to the kites high above Weser river

They could be seen from afar, colourful and numerous in the sky, the kites in a variety that is rarely encountered. The entire spectrum of kite sports, from large kites up to 25 meters in length, stunt kite and revolutionary kite shows, and team flying demonstrations by more than 70 kite teams from Germany and Europe, was on display. Arriving with their caravans and/or campers, they found a new home for a few days on the Ritzenbütteler Sand beach on the Weser River. Each kite pilot brought an average of ten different kites. However, not all of them fly at the same time – in good wind conditions, around 250 kites can be seen in the sky above Lemwerder. The kite flying field at Ritzenbütteler Sand covers six hectares. The entire area extends over 16 hectares and is located directly on the Weser River. Naturally, many visitors with children also flew their own kites, which often led to chaos due to tangled steering lines.

Visitors could look forward to perfectly organized events with a varied program. In addition to the impressive kites, there were many interactive stations, plenty to play with, and a colourful cultural program featuring acrobatics and music.

Since 1991, the Lemwerder Kite Festival has been a festival held on the third weekend in August at Ritzenbüttel Beach on the Weser River, attracting thousands of visitors.

The return journey proved to be a bit more strenuous, as the headwind made it particularly difficult for the children to manage the long distance to the city centre. But they persevered bravely!

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View the embedded image gallery online at:
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