Energy tour by bicycle
This cycle tour begins and ends at the IBA DOCK, Germany’s largest floating office and exhibition venue. From here, go left over the promenade around the Müggenburg customs port and past the BallinStadt Museum. Stay on the right, turn into Veddeler Bogen and then straight on to Niedergeorgswerder Deich. Take the next street on the left (Fiskalische Strasse) and follow the signs to the Georgswerder Energy Hill. In the past few years the former landfill has been developed into a renewable energy site. Find out all about the Energy Hill in its information centre. (Closed until spring 2014). You can climb the hill on foot: the new circular path will give you a fabulous view over Wilhelmsburg, the harbour, and the city of Hamburg.
Go back onto Fiskalische Strasse, then turn left at the end into Niedergeorgswerder Deich. Continue along this street for about 1.2 km, then turn right into Hövelweg, taking you past allotments across Wilhelmsburg‘s Dove Elbe branch. Turn right into Schönenfelder Strasse and carry on until you reach Krieterstrasse. The Gateway to the World Education Centre is right in front of you. The biggest new building project of the “Elbe Islands Education Drive” is an excellent example of how the educational institutions are working together in the district.
Keep going along Krieterstrasse on the right-hand side, then cross over Neuenfelder Strasse into Wilhelmsburg Central. As the IBA’s most extensive construction project, Wilhelmsburg Central, a cornerstone of the “Leap across the Elbe” concept, is also turning into one of the most innovative areas in Europe thanks to the Building Exhibition within the Building Exhibition. Continue along Neuenfelder Strasse and turn left into Am Inselpark. Visible from afar is a green building – the “BIQ - a “Smart Material House” – the first building in the world with a bioreactor façade, on which algae are cultivated as biomass to generate energy.
Leave Am Inselpark, returning towards Mengestrasse. At the end of this street turn right into Georg-Wilhelm-Strasse. A few kilometres on, turn left into Neuhöfer Strasse, and directly in front of you is the Energy Bunker. This former flak bunker was rebuilt as a power station as an IBA Hamburg project. Inside you will find an exhibition and café, as well as the eco-power plant. The observation platform provides a wonderful view over the island and city.
From Neuhöfer Strasse turn right into Veringstrasse, which takes you through the Reiherstieg district. At the end of Veringstrasse, turn right along Ernst-August-Kanal briefly until you see the Open House. This is a mixed occupancy development of 44 residential units built to Passive Plus standard.
The route along the canal leads to Georg-Wilhelm-Strasse, where you turn left. Keep on this street until you reach the Harburger Chaussee junction, go through the traffic lights and then right along the dyke through Spreehafen.
After about a kilometre, leave the dyke and transfer to Harburger Chaussee. Stay on the left and go under the railway bridges facing you. Turn next left (Am Zollhafen), keeping to the left, and cross the bridge at the lock. On your right is the promenade leading straight to the IBA DOCK, where our energy tour ends.
