The best traffic-free bike rides around Doberschütz

The Mulde flows exclusively in the North German Plain, initially through the Saxon Uplands, and passes Grimma, Nerchau, and Trebsen. Approximately near Wurzen, on the western edge of which it flows, the Mulde reaches the Elbe-Mulde Lowland. It then flows through Eilenburg and Bad Düben and shortly thereafter leaves Saxon territory. The remaining course to its mouth is covered by the Mulde in Saxony-Anhalt. Further downstream, until 1975, the Mulde flowed west of the two places Pouch and Friedersdorf in the area of today's Goitzschesee. Since then, it has been dammed up east of the two places in the Muldestausee – a former open-cast mine. Subsequently, the Mulde flows past Muldenstein, Jeßnitz, Raguhn, and Dessau and flows into the Elbe between Dessau and Roßlau after 147 km.[2] The revitalization project "Wilde Mulde" for the lower course in Dessau was recognized in November 2018 as an official project of the UN Decade of Biodiversity.[11][12] Source https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulde_(Fluss)#Hochwasser

Although the confluence of the two source rivers takes place at approximately half the total length of the Mulde, the Freiberger Mulde and Zwickauer Mulde already contribute over 80% of the total water volume. This is due to the shape of the catchment area, which is very wide in the Ore Mountains and narrows towards the Elbe, and also to the higher precipitation in the mountains and simultaneously higher proportion of runoff water. The shape of the catchment areas also means that the longer Zwickauer Mulde is the smaller of the two source rivers at the confluence. The hydrologically strongly dominating main branch of the Freiberger Mulde river system is the Zschopau. In its upper catchment area, it is again a named tributary, the Flöha, that contributes the larger water flow and is thus the actual source river of the Mulde. Along this main flow path, the Mulde is approximately 267 kilometers long, and along the longest flow path (Zwickauer Mulde) a good 314 kilometers.[3] The Mulde catchment area shows total drops of 600 to 900 meters for many important flow paths, so that exceptionally high flow velocities prevail here for Northern Germany. The Mulde is sometimes even referred to as the fastest flowing river in Central Europe.[10] Source https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulde_(Fluss)#Hochwasser

The Mulde, also known as Vereinte Mulde or Vereinigte Mulde, is a left-hand, non-navigable tributary of the Elbe. It is formed southeast of Leipzig near Sermuth (Saxony) by the confluence of two large headwaters, the longer Zwickauer Mulde and the Freiberger Mulde, which drains a larger catchment area with a greater discharge. The river's catchment area covers large parts of Saxony and, in particular, by far the largest part of the northern slopes of the Ore Mountains. With a water flow of approximately 73 m³/s at its mouth[8], it is the fourth largest tributary of the Elbe. The old name for the Mulde, Milda, is translated by linguists as "the water-rich one".[9] The word component Mel, referring to grinding, is sometimes associated with the name in view of the large number of mills previously operated on the river, which overlooks the fact that river names represent the oldest, often Slavic or Celtic, geographical name layer.

In 1983, during the tenure of Pastor Krauß and under his energetic guidance, the community undertook the interior renovation of their church. The entire electrical system, including the underfloor heating, urgently needed renewal. The dark painting from 1928 had to give way to a brighter, friendlier one. Only the installation of the electrical system was carried out by a company from Eilenburg; all other renovation work, similar to 1975 and 1980, is the work of so-called after-work brigades and volunteers. In 1993, the community converted the rooms of the former sacristy into a charming community room. The carpentry and drywall work was carried out by the Schneider company. In 1995, with the proceeds from the sold rectory and 40% subsidies, the community finally had funds available to have the church tower re-roofed by the Hoffmann company from Thallwitz. The repair of the mechanical tower clock could be paid for with grants from the monument protection agency and the municipality. Since 1970, three bells have been ringing and reminding again. Source https://www.kirche-am-fluss.de/index.php/kirchen/doberschuetz

This brings us to the day of horror, November 12, 1925. The old, venerable church was consumed by flames. The cause of the fire remains unknown to this day. It was not until 1928 that the new, present-day church could be consecrated. It is thanks to the then pastor Köppe that it was not built to be oversized. The Doberschütz residents could only enjoy the sound of the three new bells for barely fifteen years, then the two larger ones were confiscated again for war purposes. Hard times began for the church community as early as 1933, and these were hardly to improve after 1945. As early as 1928, the slater had "saved" on the copper nails, so that the first slates fell from the tower after the war. A repair would have been necessary, but there was a lack of money, material and construction capacity. The damage to the roof of the nave was first repaired in 1975 by a new covering. In the same year, the tower and nave also received a new exterior plaster. However, the joy over the new church roof was not to last long. The quality of the roof tiles used was so poor that the roof had to be renewed again in 1980. Source https://www.kirche-am-fluss.de/index.php/kirchen/doberschuetz

Swabians now settled on the abandoned farms. As early as 1691, the church must have been too small or dilapidated. The nave was built higher, and two galleries now offered enough space. Certainly, money was already scarce at that time, because the construction could not be completed and the tower erected as a roof turret until 1695. Old records mention two bells, the oldest of which is said to have dated from the 15th century. In 1859, the Gutsauszügler Georg Apitz donated a third, larger bell. This and the middle one were sacrificed to the World War in 1917. The smallest one melted in the church fire in 1925. Source https://www.kirche-am-fluss.de/index.php/kirchen/doberschuetz

The road is really good to drive on.

Currently, there are some very heavy snowdrifts on the right-hand lane (northbound).