Report on the NYSA-ODRA cycling and walking event
The NYSA-ODRA cycling and walking meeting, organized by the Eurojumelages Gorzów section, took place for the 13th time in Bogatynia, the former Silesian Reichenau, between 18th and 22nd September, 2024. The participants were12 jumeleurs from Germany, 2 from France, 13 from Poland and 5 from Portugal, who met at the Rychlo Hotel in Bogatynia on 18th September after travelling privately to the meeting.
Unfortunately, the Portuguese participants left the meeting after the first day. The meeting was officially opened after dinner at 7:00 p.m. by Adam Poholski with the announcement of the program.
Report cyclists
On Thursday, 19th September at 9:00 a. m, 14 cyclists set off on their first day trip to the Czech Frydlant.
The route chosen by Adam led almost exclusively alongside roads with little traffic via Kunratice, Viska and Visnova to Frydlant. After an extended lunch break, which was used by some to visit the restaurant ‘Zum Weißen Ross’ on the market square with its excellent Bohemian cuisine, we continued on to Fryland Castle.
As there were unfortunately no guided tours in German on this day, the tour of the castle was cancelled. After a short break, we also returned on quiet side roads via Vetrov and Hermanice - with a climb up to the observation tower there - to Bogatynia.
After the 40 km cycle tour, which was quite challenging due to the strenuous climbs, the cyclists reached the hotel at around 4:30 p.m.
On Friday, 20th September, 13 cyclists started their second bike tour. First, we went from Bogatynia on the country road towards Zittau, which we left after a few kilometers to cross the green border to the Czech Republic via field and forest paths and to get to Grabstejn Castle via Vaclavice.
After an extensive tour of the castle, we continued to Hradek nad Nisou for a longer lunch break at the Camelot restaurant.
After the lunch break, only 11 cyclists continued - two cyclists unfortunately had to break off due to problems with their bikes - via the border triangle DE - PL - CZ to Zittau.
In Zittau there was enough time to look at the city centre around the town hall before heading back to the hotel in Bogatynia via Sieniawka along the busy expressways 354 and 352 - both without accompanying cycle paths.
For the return route of the 46 km long bike tour, all participants would have preferred a different route.
On Saturday, 21st September, 11 cyclists started the last bike tour of this year’s Nysa-Odra meeting. Due to the experience of the previous day, Adam had decided not to take the originally planned tour to Ostritz, which would have included a long stretch along the 352 expressway.
The final tour now led from Bogatynia to Zittau by road and from there to the leisure centre at Lake Olbersdorf.
The cycling group split up at Lake Olbersdorf. 6 cyclists stayed at the lake together with Adam and took advantage of the activities on offer there.
The remaining 5 cyclists, including myself, continued on to the spa town of Oybin. The route from Olbersorfer See to Oybin is only 6 kilometres long, but it is constantly uphill at 5 % and more.
Fortunately, there is a narrow-gauge steam railway between Zittau and Oybin, which could be used for the last few kilometers. Travelling on a narrow-gauge steam railway is a rare and interesting experience.
Visiting the castle and the Oybin monastery required some stamina and was also an extraordinary experience.
Both groups met at 3:00 p.m. at the Zittau Town Hall Square for the joint return journey via Kopaczow and Opolno Zdroj to Bogatynia. With the arrival in Bogatynia at 4:45 p.m., all this year's cycle tours of the Nysa- Odra meeting were successfully completed.
Report walkers
"I was already aware, even before arriving in the former Reichenau, that hiking would be part of this year's Odra-Nysa event in Bogatynia, Poland. Why else would I have signed up? But it wasn't until I received the program there that I realized there would be not just two days of hiking, as with OSCAR, but three full days. I wasn't prepared for that at all, especially regarding my laundry.
On the other hand, I was curious if hiking would even be possible, given the dramatic rise in water levels I had been following in the news for days, if not weeks. I had never before hiked through ankle-deep mud.
So, I was all the more surprised to find all the fields and forest paths bone dry. The flooding must have happened somewhere else.
Even on the second hike, an 11-kilometer stretch to Zittau, we arrived with dry feet. The tri-point where Germany, the Czech Republic, and 
Poland meet – actually located in the middle of the Neisse River which separates Germany and Poland – has been symbolically projected onto the Polish bank for better accessibility. A small stream that flows into the Neisse directly opposite the actual tripoint marks the border between the Czech Republic and Poland. A small footbridge allowed us a few steps onto Czech soil before we finally turned towards Zittau. Unfortunately, a German participant stumbled over a sharp stone on the return journey on the country road and had to be taken to the hospital.
I skipped the first hike: a 14-kilometer circular route that required us to cross the border between the Czech Republic and Poland several times, through forests and fields to a lookout tower in the Czech Republic.
Who was actually leading us? The designated hiking guide was far too busy 
photographing the group from all angles. Sometimes he was in front, sometimes at the back. Fortunately, an excellent substitute from Darmstadt stepped in, though I'm not referring to myself.
And then there was the third hike, another linear route, this time 16 kilometers to Frydlant in Bohemia. Apparently, so many hadn't been planned, but some Polish women rebelled when it got too steep at one point, so we had to take a small detour.
Arriving in Frydlant, we found that the market square was almost as beautiful as the one in Zittau.
Review and outlook
On 21st September after dinner the final meeting began, in which pictures and films of the past 3 days were shown, taken by Slawomir. On Sunday, 22nd September, all participants started their journey home after breakfast.
NYSA-ODRA 2024 in Bogatynia in the border triangle of Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany was a successful meeting, excellently organized by our friends from Gorzów. Next year - according to Adam Poholski's current plans - NYSA-ODRA will take place from 10th to 14th September in Zgorzelec.
Harald Weber (cyclists) / Georg Urbanski (walkers)
association of Darmstadt
Germany
