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123-744: The E11 is one of three European long distance paths running East from the Benelux to the Baltic states . In the North, following the German, Polish, Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian coasts of North Sea and Baltic Sea , the E9 offers a variety of polders , sandy and rocky beaches , dunes , coastal meadows and commercial harbors . In Estonia the route goes along the very seashore for around 100 km, mainly between Haapsalu and Tallinn. But in other places crossing

246-484: A Soviet general. A little further lies Kęszyca , where a German system of underground corridors and strongholds can be visited. It dates back to 1934, when Nazi Germany began work on plans that had started under the democratic Weimar Republic , which wanted to defend itself against a possible attack from the East with a so-called Ostwall . In 1938 already, this defense system started to deteriorate as dictator Adolf Hitler

369-689: A binding decision . The members of the Court are appointed from among the judges of the 'Cour de cassation' of Belgium, the 'Hoge Raad of the Netherlands' and the 'Cour de cassation' of Luxembourg . Benelux General Secretariat: The General Secretariat, which is based in Brussels, forms the cooperation platform of the Benelux Union. It acts as the secretariat of the Committee of Ministers,

492-459: A decision can directly create rights and obligations for citizens or companies. 2. Agreements The Committee of Ministers can draw up agreements, which are then submitted to the Benelux states (and/or their sub-state entities) for signature and subsequent parliamentary ratification. These agreements can deal with any subject matter, also in policy areas that are not yet covered by cooperation in

615-514: A detailed guide of the trail can be bought. The Marskramerpad links some typically Dutch landscapes, such as the wetlands and polders in the West of the country, and the sandy hills and broad river valleys in the Center and East of the country. It also crosses some of the most interesting towns and cities, including The Hague , Leiden , Amersfoort , Deventer and Oldenzaal . EUREGIO exploits

738-403: A large bow around the city of Międzyrzecz . The city has bus and train connections with various townships on E11 and may be used as a pleasant station for two or three days of walking without much luggage. Bobowicko is at walking distance (2 km) from the train and bus stations of Międzyrzecz. Due to its train connections to Poznań and Germany, Międzyrzecz is also a good place to end or start

861-549: A local signpost. The historical city center of Olsztyn with its variety of museums, restaurants, theatres and hotspots for night life is without doubt a place where even the most fanatic E11 rambler wants to spend a day of rest. It is the gateway to the former coreland of the Teutonic Order , now characterized by little towns with remnants of huge castles. Of these, E11 passes Dobre Miasto , Lidzbark Warmiński , Bisztynek , Reszel and Kętrzyn . Other buildings remind of

984-527: A military tactic in the past. One example is the flooding of the polders along the Yser River during World War I . Opening the sluices at high tide and closing them at low tide turned the polders into an inaccessible swamp, which allowed the Allied armies to stop the German army . The Netherlands has a large area of polders: as much as 20% of the land area has at some point in the past been reclaimed from

1107-588: A museum in Szafarnia . In Radziki Duże E11 turns left over a paved road with heavy lorries carrying loads from a sand quarry. It takes about an hour to reach a bridge over the Drwęcą and escape from the road into the forest on the other side of the river. This sandy forest road continues till Mszano , but in a new suburb under Szabda it turns into a paved road and subsequently a main road leading to Brodnica . E11 and St. James Way leave Brodnica well-marked, but avoiding

1230-691: A new Benelux Treaty on Police Cooperation in 2018, providing for direct access to each other's police databases and population registers within the limits of national legislation, and allowing some police forces to cross borders in some situations. The Benelux is also committed to working together on adaptation to climate change . A joint political declaration in July 2020 called on the European Commission to prioritise cycling in European climate policy and Sustainable Transport strategies, to co-finance

1353-421: A new approach to the design of dikes and other water-retaining structures, based on an acceptable probability of overflowing. Risk is defined as the product of probability and consequences. The potential damage in lives, property, and rebuilding costs is compared with the potential cost of water defences. From these calculations follows an acceptable flood risk from the sea at one in 4,000–10,000 years, while it

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1476-547: A newly created routing in the former GDR . It crosses former West-Germany on a chain of ridges running from West to East, then passes the Harz Mountains without going higher than 514 meters, and finally gives an impression of the large-scale agrarian enterprises that were founded by the Brandenburg-Prussian nobility in the 17th century, and continued to exist in the form of People's Owned Companies during

1599-407: A piece of land elevated above its surroundings, with the augmentative suffix -er and epenthetical -d- . The word has been adopted in thirty-six languages. The Netherlands is frequently associated with polders, as its engineers became noted for developing techniques to drain wetlands and make them usable for agriculture and other development. This is illustrated by the saying "God created

1722-583: A rambler interested in one of the oldest, biggest and most beautiful town centers along E11 is to turn right (South) toward Rynek Jezycki. Here begins The Royal-Imperial Route in Poznań which, in a more or less straight west–east line, passes all tourist highlights of Poznań . This tourist trail ends at the medieval little Church of St. John of Jerusalem Outside the Walls near Lake Malta . The quiet Northern shore of this Jezioro Maltańskie offers interesting views of

1845-440: A rare Eurasian lynx . It is only at the end of a severe winter season, when the animals are hungry, that extra care must be taken. In the summer, one might tread on a venomous adder and in any season one might be bitten by a rabies infected mammal. The one really big danger, however, is the almost invisible tick as it may be infected with tick-borne diseases , especially Lyme disease and tick-borne meningoencephalitis . In

1968-539: A sense, E11 is the oldest European footpath among the ERA network. There is archeological evidence that messengers and traders followed the range of low hills in what is now Northern Germany, thousands of years ago. Especially after the Middle Ages, the route became a backbone of east–west trade. Pedlars and other travelers preferred the dry and sandy ridge to the swamps to the North and South of it. At present, ramblers feel

2091-533: A short distance. Moreover, E11 is not itself waymarked on the route, with a few exceptions which may amount to one sign every 100 km. The regional trails are marked, however, although not always well enough to enable the rambler to follow E11 without a map. Some topographical maps show sections of E11, but others may only show the trails that form the basis of it. So one must fall back on documents describing which sections of which trails make up E11. Unfortunately, these are hardly accessible or are incomplete: Once

2214-469: A surprisingly wild patch of forest. The red markings lead through open agrarian land to the long-stretched industrial village of Trzemeszno . The trail passes in front of the railway station, crosses the tracks a little further, and reaches Mogilno via the village of Wydartowo . The white-red-white stripes die out in Mogilno . E11, now invisible, turns right in the little park around the lake, not far from

2337-478: A tar road through a nondescript area of small businesses and workshops related to agriculture. Later, it ventures into forest until finally all black or green markings leave the path and die somewhere in the forest and the dunes. One should rather follow the nearby tar road to the North, to the township of Pobiedziska , where E11 is found back. Away from the track, to the West of the town, open-air museum Skansen welcomes visitors with miniature copies of buildings from

2460-521: A tour of one or more weeks along E11. The city has an interesting regional museum and a lively score of restaurants and bars. From Bobowicko, the green trail continues till after Stołuń, where E11 begins to follow white-blue-white to Villa Toscana, a lonely hotel between the villages of Nowe Gorzycko and Stare Gorzycko . The blue trail and E11 continue to the twin cities of Międzychód and Bielsko , which offer many opportunities for shopping (fashion, antiquities, arts) and staying overnight. E11 now enters

2583-710: A train or on the motorway, see it high on the slope that ends the Wiehengebirge. After Porta Westfalica E11 remains in Lower Saxony for almost 200 kilometers. It follows the 50 kilometers of a regional hiking trail, the Wesergebirgsweg, cruising over de crest of the next ridge, the Weser Uplands to the medieval town of Hameln . E11 reaches a height of 440 meters on Mount Hohe Egge, amidst of breath-taking rocks and ancient forests. It then crosses

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2706-577: A variety of natural and commercial forests along the river Drwęcą . E11 leaves the twin cities without markings near the Post Office and the cemetery on National Road # 534. The trail follows roughly the river Drwęcą to the North-East, and the first yellow signs are found in the forest. The trail then alternates between river side woods and agrarian settlements. Some of these remind of the composer Chopin who spent holidays in this area and now has

2829-576: A weak sense of orientation, or those who fear Russian red tape when crossing the border unintentionally and without visa. That one reaches the Russian border before Lithuania , may be surprising to those who are not aware that Russia has an exclave around Kaliningrad , formerly German Königsberg . E11 in Poland ends at the Polish-Lithuanian border post at 3 km from Ogrodniki . Here

2952-471: A wide area. In Pobiedziska itself, the Ulica Gnieźnieńska at the left of the church on the central square of Pobiedziska carries E11 out of town. Through open, mostly agrarian land, the scattered houses of Lednogóra are reached, where white-red-white markings join the trail. This is from now on the colour of E11 over more than 100 kilometres. Along a swampy lake and a crossing in the main road #5 (at

3075-573: Is Frans Weekers from the Netherlands and there are two deputies: Deputy Secretary-General Michel-Etienne Tilemans from Belgium and Deputy Secretary-General Jean-Claude Meyer from Luxembourg. The presidency of the Benelux is held in turn by the three countries for a period of one year. Belgium holds the presidency for 2024. About 80 percent of the Benelux population speaks Dutch, about 20 percent speaks French and one percent Luxembourgish as their native language. A small minority under one percent are native German speakers. In 1944, exiled representatives of

3198-536: Is a politico - economic union and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighbouring states in Western Europe : Belgium , the Netherlands , and Luxembourg . The name is a portmanteau formed from joining the first few letters of each country's name and was first used to name the customs agreement that initiated the union (signed in 1944). It is now used more generally to refer to

3321-474: Is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as dikes . The three types of polder are: The ground level in drained marshes subsides over time. All polders will eventually be below the surrounding water level some or all of the time. Water enters the low-lying polder through infiltration and water pressure of groundwater , or rainfall, or transport of water by rivers and canals. This usually means that

3444-663: Is concerned, the community and regional governments, signed in Brussels the Treaty of the Benelux Interparliamentary Assembly. This treaty entered into force on 1 August 2019. This superseded the 1955 Convention on the Consultative Interparliamentary Council for the Benelux. The official name has been largely obsolete in daily practice for a number of years: both internally in the Benelux and in external references,

3567-456: Is described in the German language, A list of 150 addresses which offer lodgings for the night en route, also in German, is found in specialized bookshops in Germany. Some useful information is found at Fernwege.de, but as such not enough to follow the trail. It is strongly advised to carry a city plan of Berlin when walking from Potsdam to Neuenhagen. Locally bought topographical maps will do for

3690-570: Is found in small parts of The Netherlands as well as in Eastern Germany and around the Polish city of Poznań. Nevertheless, the E11 links some interesting cities, such as The Hague , Amersfoort , Deventer , Osnabrück , Goslar , Luther's Wittenberg , Berlin , Frankfurt (Oder) , Poznań , Gniezno , Toruń , Olsztyn , Lidzbark Warmiński and Kętrzyn . Lakes and rivers are not uncommon along

3813-530: Is known as the Marskramerpad ("Peddlers Way"), paying tribute to those who walked through the centuries along the same track. The Marskramerpad links Scheveningen in The Hague over 368 kilometers to the German township of Bad Bentheim . The last 13 km are in Germany, which leaves 355 km for the Netherlands. Like most Dutch long distance trails, the Marskramerpad is managed by Wandelnet, where

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3936-513: Is no possibility to spend the night, the nearest lodgings are found in Sejny , 11 km along the main road, or 13 km by following the black trail back and then the red trail to the right. Those who venture into Lithuania may find a guesthouse in Lazdijai . Both towns have no train connections; to take a train home or to an airport, one may follow the red trail from Sejny over 25 km to

4059-566: Is not part of the Benelux Union. The Benelux General Secretariat is located in Brussels . It is the central platform of the Benelux Union cooperation. It handles the secretariat of the Committee of Ministers, the Council of Benelux Union and the sundry committees and working parties. The General Secretariat provides day-to-day support for the Benelux cooperation on the substantive, procedural, diplomatic and logistical levels. The Secretary-General

4182-427: Is now dreaming away as a provincial town. Old and beautiful houses and other buildings around the central square testify of an interesting past, whilst decaying factories refer to the recent communist past. The university offers the most lively corner of the town. The white-red-white marks of E11 lead along the most interesting churches, museums and other sites, and finally to the railway station. A few signs in front of

4305-608: Is one in 100–2,500 years for a river flood. The particular established policy guides the Dutch government to improve flood defences as new data on threat levels become available. Major Dutch polders and the years they were laid dry include Beemster (1609–1612), Schermer (1633–1635), and Haarlemmermeerpolder (1852). Polders created as part of the Zuiderzee Works include Wieringermeerpolder (1930), Noordoostpolder (1942) and Flevopolder (1956–1968) Several cities on

4428-504: Is particularly active in the field of intellectual property . The three countries established a Benelux Trademarks Office and a Benelux Designs Office, both situated in The Hague . In 2005, they concluded a treaty establishing the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property , which replaced both offices upon its entry into force on 1 September 2006. This organisation is the official body for the registration of trademarks and designs in

4551-762: Is true for both the Töddenweg and the Wittekindsweg, which form the respective continuations of the Marskramerpad. The Töddenweg (a regional name to be translated as Peddlers Way) used to begin in Oldenzaal in The Netherlands, but has its start now in Bad Bentheim , an old siege of German nobility with a medieval castle (partly museum) and a functioning spa. A set of 3 maps can be downloaded or ordered from EUREGIO. A different map can be obtained from

4674-698: The Cold War . The Glienicke Bridge witnessed the opening and subsequent fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989. The routing through former West Berlin surprises with a vast area of forest before the Olympic Stadium in Charlottenburg is reached. This part of Berlin is rich in historical castles, including the winter residence of the Prussian kings, who also founded a few museums here. Most of

4797-695: The European Coal and Steel Community , the European Economic Community (EEC), and the European Community – European Union (EC–EU). The three partners also launched the Schengen process, which came into operation in 1985. Benelux cooperation has been constantly adapted and now goes much further than mere economic cooperation, extending to new and topical policy areas connected with security, sustainable development, and

4920-677: The Nordic Council (Sweden, Denmark and Finland), and all the other countries EU member states , sought to increase cooperation in the Digital Single Market , as well as discussing social matters, the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union , immigration and defence cooperation. Foreign relations in the wake of Russia's annexation of Crimea and the 2017 Turkish constitutional referendum were also on

5043-786: The Paraíba Valley region (in the state of São Paulo ) have polders on land claimed from the floodplains around the Paraíba do Sul river. Bangladesh has 139 polders, of which 49 are sea-facing, while the rest are along the numerous distributaries of the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna River delta. These were constructed in the 1960s to protect the coast from tidal flooding and reduce salinity incursion. They reduce long-term flooding and waterlogging following storm surges from tropical cyclones . They are also cultivated for agriculture. The Jiangnan region, at

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5166-480: The Way of St. James continue. Gorges invites to look for a trail marked blue, but the only blue trail to be found makes a short circuit through a suburb of Kruszwica. A better bet is to follow the busy main road to the North, which is marked with the shells of St.James. After 7 km, near Łojewo , one may take a quiet asphalt road, soon unpaved and marked blue. The blue signs lead finally through long-stretched suburbs to

5289-654: The Wiehen Hills and the Wesergebirge ), created almost 100 million years ago from marine sediments which started to rise. The Harz mountains themselves are even much older (about 300 million years according to academic estimates) and stem from a variety of complicated geological processes. After the Harz, E11 drops back to the estuaries of the rivers in the plains. Large parts of the E11 cross through forests, for which sometimes considerable detours are made. Open scenery

5412-486: The Yangtze River Delta , has a long history of constructing polders. Most of these projects were performed between the 10th and 13th centuries. The Chinese government also assisted local communities in constructing dikes for swampland water drainage. The Lijia (里甲) self-monitoring system of 110 households under a lizhang (里长) headman was used for the purposes of service administration and tax collection in

5535-542: The 11th century. The oldest extant polder is the Achtermeer polder, from 1533. As a result of flooding disasters, water boards called waterschap (when situated more inland) or hoogheemraadschap (near the sea, mainly used in the Holland region) were set up to maintain the integrity of the water defences around polders, maintain the waterways inside a polder, and control the various water levels inside and outside

5658-667: The Benelux Council and/or the Secretariat-General, for which they are binding. This instrument has so far only been used occasionally, basically in order to organize certain activities within a Benelux working group or to give them impetus. All four instruments require the unanimous approval of the members of the Committee of Ministers (and, in the case of agreements, subsequent signature and ratification at national level). Polders A polder ( Dutch pronunciation: [ˈpɔldər] )

5781-507: The Benelux Organisation for Intellectual Property is also an independent organisation. Benelux Committee of Ministers: The Committee of Ministers is the supreme decision-making body of the Benelux. It includes at least one representative at ministerial level from the three countries. Its composition varies according to its agenda. The ministers determine the orientations and priorities of Benelux cooperation. The presidency of

5904-453: The Benelux. In addition, it offers the possibility to formally record the existence of ideas, concepts, designs, prototypes and the like. Some examples of recent Benelux initiatives include: automatic level recognition of diplomas and degrees within the Benelux for bachelor's and master's programs in 2015, and for all other degrees in 2018; common road inspections in 2014; and a Benelux pilot with digital consignment notes ( e-CMR ) in 2017;

6027-581: The Central Railway Station takes little time as E11 avoids the interesting historical town center and the luxurious palaces of the former dukes of Brandenburg , who became kings of Prussia and emperors of Germany . E11 sneaks through one of the hottest spots on the former border of West Berlin , Klein Glienicke. This little settlement, enclosed by water and divided by an indented border, was packed full of spies by both superpowers during

6150-435: The Committee rotates between the three countries on an annual basis. Benelux Council: The council is composed of senior officials from the relevant ministries. Its composition varies according to its agenda. The council's main task is to prepare the dossiers for the ministers. Benelux InterParliamentary Consultative Council: The Benelux Parliament (officially referred to as an "Interparliamentary Consultative Council")

6273-543: The GDR. The metropolis of Berlin is crossed from Potsdam through the town centre to Friedrichshagen . E11 leaves German territory on the Oder /Odra bridge linking Frankfurt (Oder) to Słubice in Poland. After Bad Bentheim , E11 follows the border between the German federal states (Länder) of Lower Saxony and Northrhine-Westphalia over about 200 kilometers, which means that one crosses their border at least every day. This

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6396-710: The German-German border and now separates the federal states of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt . In the years after the fall of the Iron Curtain and German reunification , the Harz Club put much effort into restoring the network of rambling trails in the Eastern part of the Harz Mountains. This resulted inter alia in a completely new extension of E11 through the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt . It passes Ilsenburg and Ballenstedt , finally breaks through

6519-451: The Gulf of Finland it runs along sandy beaches or stony, rocky and sometimes overgrown shores. European long distance footpaths are strictly developed as hiking trails, but almost all of E11 can be travelled on a saddle - be it on a horse or a bicycle. Most of the (original, pre-human) landscape along E11 was formed in the last 14,000 years, i.e. in the current Holocene or warmer period since

6642-586: The River Spree and a few recreational parks and then crosses the river by ferry into a vast area of town houses and bungalows to Friedrichshagen . Here, E11 leaves the urban area behind to venture to the North into one of the most beautiful parts of the trail, the valley of the little river Erpe or Neuenhagener Mühlenfließ . Turning East, the trail now passes through Neuenhagen and the Märkische Schweiz Nature Park to Gusow near

6765-419: The Treaty establishing the Benelux Union or other Benelux treaties. Their legally binding force concerns the Benelux states (and their sub-state entities), which have to implement them. However, they have no direct effect towards individual citizens or companies (notwithstanding any indirect protection of their rights based on such decisions as a source of international law). Only national provisions implementing

6888-788: The agenda. Since 2008 the Benelux Union works together with the German Land (state) North Rhine-Westphalia. In 2018 Benelux Union signed a declaration with France to strengthen cross-border cooperation. Under the 2008 treaty there are five Benelux institutions: the Benelux Committee of Ministers, the Benelux Council, the Benelux Parliament, the Benelux Court of Justice, the Benelux Secretariat General. Beside these five institutions,

7011-433: The area that, for a long time, was No Man's Land and War Front Zone between Prussia (later the German Empire) and Poland. Many monuments remind of this tragedy, but unfortunately the explanatory texts are in Polish only. In Bukowar the markings change to white-red-white and in Obrzycko to white-green-white. Słopanowo marks the end of the forests; E11 now enters the agrarian open space of the province of Greater Poland around

7134-483: The areas of economy, sustainability and security. Benelux works together on the basis of an annual plan embedded in a four-year joint work programme. The Benelux Union involves intergovernmental cooperation. The Treaty establishing the Benelux Union explicitly provides that the Benelux Committee of Ministers can resort to four legal instruments (art. 6, paragraph 2, under a), f), g) and h)): 1. Decisions Decisions are legally binding regulations for implementing

7257-411: The border to work in the Netherlands each day. In addition, 12,000 Dutch and close to a thousand Luxembourg residents work in Belgium. The main institutions of the Union are the Committee of Ministers, the Council of the Union, the General Secretariat, the Interparliamentary Consultative Council and the Benelux Court of Justice while the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property covers the same land but

7380-437: The border with the federal state of Brandenburg . After Halle, E11 is waymarked according to the traditional system in former communist Europe: three horizontal stripes, white, blue and white, which may also be interpreted as a blue stripe on a white square. E11 enters Brandenburg near Gross-Marzehns and crosses broad treeless agrarian land towards the town of Belzig . The trail continues through vast hunting forests, which were

7503-405: The bridge across the River Oder (and the now open border between Germany and Poland) has been passed, E11 (here unmarked) goes straight through the town center of Słubice , until 1945 a suburban part of Frankfurt (Oder) under the name of Dammvorstadt, but a separate township in a different country since then. Two kilometers out of town, E11 curbs left toward the little village of Drzecin , where

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7626-415: The center of Gniewkowo . They follow a right curve and leave the town on the asphalt road towards Cierpice to the North. The trails now enter a large forest, leave the tar road after some kilometers and make a wide curve of 16 km to the village of Cierpice , the first of a chain of suburbs of Toruń . In spite of Gorges, E11 no longer passes through Suchatówka. The blue trail ends at the PTTK office in

7749-433: The city center of Inowrocław . Near the railway station of Inowrocław a torn map of the city is found, which indicates where the red-marked E11 leaves the town. The insufficiently marked trail crosses the fields of Kolonie Szadłowice and enters the forests of Błoto Ostrowskie . Finally, one comes to the village of Wierzbiczany, from where both the red markings and the blue shells of St.James lead through agrarian land to

7872-448: The city of Halle . This remarkable town survived the Second World War almost undamaged and retains a great number of buildings reflecting Jugendstil , Bauhaus and other architectural styles. The path west of Halle is waymarked in the same manner as the previous parts, i.e. a white cross (X), possibly on a black square. After Halle, E11 climbs the lonely hill of Petersberg and continues through flat, open land. The scenery reflects both

7995-401: The city of Poznań . There are no marks after Szamotuły . The village of Kiekrz is where E11 reaches Poznań. From behind the railway station of Kiekrz, a white-green-white marked trail leads through a vast city park to Golęcin, from where a few black or blue marks guide the rambler to the tramway stop of Sołacz and Nad Wierzbakiem. After this point, E11 is not defined, but the obvious choice of

8118-466: The coastline becomes difficult as it is shaped by numerous capes, peninsulas, wetlands with reeds, floodplains, lagoons and shallow coves, which is why the remaining distance of around 500 km has to be covered via seaside trails, roads and along motor roads. More to the South, the E3 crosses through the long range of medium-sized mountains that links the mainly Belgian Ardennes to the Carpathian Mountains . The E11 takes an intermediate course through

8241-406: The conquest of Saxony by Charlemagne. Remarkable is that his long and brave resistance resulted in his appointment as the first Duke of Saxony under Charlemagne. Just before the sensational descent to Porta Westfalica , the trail passes the giant monument to the honor of Wilhelm I, German Emperor from 1871 till his death in 1888. The building is placed in such a way, that even today, all who pass in

8364-410: The construction of cycling infrastructure , and to provide funds to stimulate cycling policy. On 5 June 2018, the Benelux Treaty celebrated its 60 years of existence. In 2018, a Benelux Youth Parliament was created. In addition to cooperation based on a Treaty, there is also political cooperation in the Benelux context, including summits of the Benelux government leaders. In 2019 a Benelux summit

8487-462: The council and various commissions and working groups . The General Secretariat has years of expertise in the area of Benelux cooperation and is familiar with the policy agreements and differences between the three countries. Building on what already been achieved, the General Secretariat puts its knowledge, network and experience at the service of partners and stakeholders who endorse its mission . It initiates, supports and monitors cooperation results in

8610-434: The crest of the Harz Mountains (which are hills rather than mountains here), and reaches the town of Lutherstadt Eisleben , the birthplace of Martin Luther , the church reformer, and bears his name in its official name. A further extension, long planned, but realized only in 2007, leads E11 through mining and large-scale agricultural country to the Natural Park of the Lower Saale (Naturpark Unteres Saaletal). E11 continues to

8733-413: The crossing a road sign says that it is now 22.2 kilometres to Gniezno ), E11 reaches the railway station of Fałkowo , which is crossed at full length. Here E11 has been forced to make place for a motorway. After Leśniewo scarce white-red-white signs can be found again, leading the aware and persistent rambler to Gniezno . Gniezno was the first capital of Poland, way back in the Middle Ages , but it

8856-560: The eastern part of the Marskramerpad and its continuation in Germany (together forming the stretch Deventer - Bad Bentheim - Osnabrück) under the name of Handelsweg. The first 13 kilometers in Germany, through Gildehaus and Bad Bentheim , are part of the Dutch Marskramerpad. In the rest of Germany, E11 follows some old regional trails, a remnant of the Wanderweg Harz - Niederlande (Hiking Trail Harz - Netherlands) and

8979-551: The economy. In 1965, the treaty establishing a Benelux Court of Justice was signed. It entered into force in 1974. The court, composed of judges from the highest courts of the three states, has to guarantee the uniform interpretation of common legal rules. This international judicial institution is located in Luxembourg. The 1958 Treaty between the Benelux countries establishing the Benelux Economic Union

9102-464: The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the unification of Germany in 1990, the need was felt to extend the trail to the East on a partially new course, partially making use of existing trails in the former East Germany . Parallel to the extension of the European Union to the East, the E11 was extended over the existing network of Polish local and regional hiking trails. The Dutch section of E11

9225-607: The famous museums of Berlin are, however, found in Mitte (the historical center of Berlin and also the center of the former East Berlin). E11 does not pass here, but follows an old trail in West Berlin along the River Spree and the Landwehr Canal , thus missing the most interesting parts of East Berlin and present-day Berlin. The borough of Köpenick is where E11 enters former East Berlin. E11 lingers leisurely between

9348-469: The first white-yellow-white markings are found. These lead in a few days to Lubniewice , where the markings change to white-blue-white. The blue trail passes Kursko and leads to Kęszyca Leśna , a former army base of the Soviet Red Army that now tries to build up a second life as an industrial and tourist settlement. The former staff quarters now function as a hotel, where the hiker may rest as

9471-434: The framework of the Benelux Union. These are in fact traditional treaties, with the same direct legally binding force towards both authorities and citizens or companies. The negotiations do however take place in the established context of the Benelux working groups and institutions, rather than on an ad hoc basis. 3. Recommendations Recommendations are non-binding orientations, adopted at ministerial level, which underpin

9594-408: The functioning of the Benelux Union. These (policy) orientations may not be legally binding, but given their adoption at the highest political level and their legal basis vested directly in the Treaty, they do entail a strong moral obligation for any authority concerned in the Benelux countries. 4. Directives Directives of the Committee of Ministers are mere inter-institutional instructions towards

9717-509: The geographic, economic, and cultural grouping of the three countries. The Benelux is an economically dynamic and densely populated region, with 5.6% of the European population (29.55 million residents) and 7.9% of the joint EU GDP (€36,000/resident) on 1.7% of the whole surface of the EU . In 2015, 37% of the total number of EU cross-border workers worked in the Benelux; 35,000 Belgian citizens work in Luxembourg, while 37,000 Belgian citizens cross

9840-482: The green signs must be followed to the North until a paved road. The asphalt is followed to the East over about one kilometer between two lakes. Here the green trail and the yellow-marked E11 split up. E11 passes twice near the tourist resort of Ciche and turns West to Górale, then North to the railway station of Ostrowite, and finally East. The yellow-marked E11 continues to the East until Radomno , where it unites with St. James Way and turns North to Iława . They pass

9963-462: The large scale of agrarian enterprises in the new federal states as well as the influence of Brandenburg-Prussian nobility in the 18th and 19th centuries. E11 reaches the city of Dessau , the cradle of Bauhaus architecture, then plunges into the interesting Biosphere Reserve of the Middle Elbe. It passes Coswig and enters the forest around Senst . Shortly after this village, E11 reaches

10086-641: The last ice age . The melting ice in Northern Europe caused huge rivers to carve out wide valleys, whilst the sea level rose significantly and flooded low land. It is known that the river Thames in England was once a tributary of the river Rhine on the continent; Britain was then not separated from the continent by the North Sea . In what is now known as the Netherlands and in the plains of (now) Northern Germany and Poland, rivers began to flow to carry

10209-488: The many sports accommodations on and around the lake and guides the E11 rambler to the zoo and the start of the well-marked but curving Cistercian bicycle track . Lodgings and buses back to town are found just across the border of the city in Gruszczyn . The last residential area of Poznań is Zieliniec. Crossing the main road in Gruszczyn , E11 goes straight, in line with Map N-33-131/132, to Pobiedziska . E11 passes over

10332-600: The melted ice towards what became the Baltic Sea (itself also a result of the rising sea level) or the North Sea. These areas are now characterized by low-lying land, marshes, sandy old dunes (now stationary hills) alternating with older layers of peat . From the Dutch and German border to the Harz , however, E11 passes through a different and much older geological area. It consists of a range of low mountain ridges (such as

10455-556: The modern center of the city, which was heavily destroyed in the Second World War, and continue North by Szalkowo to Tynwald , then East to Samborowo . From here a blue-marked section of E11 leads to Waplewo , passing the forested tourist resort of Wysoka Wieś and the historical site of the Battle of Grunwald (1410). Between Waplewo and Olsztyn, E11 makes a long half-circle through two natural reserves. The first protects

10578-615: The more recent, but also Roman Catholic past, for example the Palace of the bishops of Warmia at Smolajny , the monastery of Stoczek and the shrine of Święta Lipka . In Gołdap , E11 offers a choice between a trail marked white-green-white that comes very close to the Russian border, or a white-red-white trail along the main road to the East. Both trails meet again after 31 km in Stanczyki . The green trail passes through uninhabited woodland and should not be recommended to ramblers with

10701-415: The name Benelux Parliament has been used de facto for a number of years now. Benelux Court of Justice: The Benelux Court of Justice is an international court. Its mission is to promote uniformity in the application of Benelux legislation. When faced with difficulty interpreting a common Benelux legal rule, national courts must seek an interpretive ruling from the Benelux Court, which subsequently renders

10824-550: The new federal government structure of Belgium. The original establishing treaty, set to expire in 2010, was replaced by a new legal framework (called the Treaty revising the Treaty establishing the Benelux Economic Union), which was signed on 17 June 2008. The new treaty has no set time limit and the name of the Benelux Economic Union changed to Benelux Union to reflect the broad scope on

10947-457: The nice but neglected old city centre. The trails follow Motorway A15 and an abandoned railway track into forest, and meets the A15 again near the bridges of Tama Brodzka . Right after the bridge, the trails turn left into a small paved forest lane leading to Bachotek , where they split. E11 makes a few curves near Jezioro Zbiczno and meets a trail marked green. Here the yellow signs are missing, but

11070-571: The open downs around Hameln (junctions with E1 ) and Coppenbrügge , near the rivers Hamel and Weser . The latter township offers the last possibility for shopping before E11 climbs the next ridge, the Ith and remains on its crest over its full length. Passing Eschershausen , medieval Alfeld (Leine) , the Helleberg ("Mount Hell") and Bad Gandersheim , E11 reaches the Harz Mountains at

11193-407: The polder has an excess of water, which is pumped out or drained by opening sluices at low tide . Care must be taken not to set the internal water level too low. Polder land made up of peat (former marshland) will sink in relation to its previous level, because of peat decomposing when exposed to oxygen from the air. Polders are at risk of flooding at all times, and care must be taken to protect

11316-551: The polder, with a liangzhang (粮长, grain chief) responsible for maintaining the water system and a tangzhang (塘长, dike chief) for polder maintenance. In Germany, land reclaimed by diking is called a koog . The German Deichgraf system was similar to the Dutch and is widely known from Theodor Storm 's novella The Rider on the White Horse . In southern Germany, the term polder is used for retention basins recreated by opening dikes during river floodplain restoration ,

11439-485: The polder. Water boards hold separate elections, levy taxes, and function independently from other government bodies. Their function is basically unchanged even today. As such, they are the oldest democratic institutions in the country. The necessary cooperation among all ranks to maintain polder integrity gave its name to the Dutch version of third-way politics —the Polder Model . The 1953 flood disaster prompted

11562-491: The property of the Brandenburg-Prussian nobility in the 19th century and served as a green belt around Berlin and Potsdam in the 20th century. About 20 kilometers before Potsdam, E11 reaches the first of a score of lakes bordered by many former East German holiday resorts, some of which are still in use. In front of Potsdam's monumental central railway station ( Potsdam Hauptbahnhof ) E11 meets E10 , running north–south and also marked white-blue-white. Crossing Potsdam near

11685-547: The purpose of cooperation among the three partners was to put an end to customs barriers at their borders and ensure free movement of persons, capital , services , and goods between the three countries. This treaty was the first example of international economic integration in Europe since the Second World War . The three countries therefore foreshadowed and provided the model for future European integration, such as

11808-466: The railway station of Gniezno indicate distances along the red-marked trail that is E11. The 40 km to Mogilno are correct, but the distance to Kruszwica is severely exaggerated. The trail follows the road parallel to the tracks to the Northeast and turns then right into a tunnel under the railway. After another right turn, it passes through a modern industrial area, older residential quarters and

11931-487: The railway station of Trakiszki near Puńsk . There are also railway stations in the Polish city of Suwałki and the Lithuanian city of Šeštokai . Be prepared to wait long; there seems to be only one train in either direction from these places except Suwałki that offers three trains daily to Białystok. The Lithuanian part of E11 is known as "Miško takas" (“Forest Trail”). It starts at Polish - Lithuanian border near

12054-399: The railway station, and immediately right again, to follow the waterside toward the medieval Benedictine monastery. E11 turns left (East) to the lonely motel of Goryszewo Kwieciszewo , where the first white-red-white stripes since Mogilno are found. The trail passes through Jeziorki and follows a sandy dirt road to Strzelno . After Strzelno, a Polish Way of St. James follows more or less

12177-411: The rambler walks for days through agrarian and semi-industrial land, made pleasant by some ancient towns and buildings. As Poland is rather thinly populated, ramblers without tents must be prepared for daily distances between 25 and 35 kilometers. No Polish regional trail is, as a whole, part of E11. The trail rather jumps from one existing trail to another, generally after following such a trail for only

12300-526: The renewed Treaty has been reduced and thus simplified. Benelux seeks region-to-region cooperation, be it with France and Germany ( North Rhine-Westphalia ) or beyond with the Baltic States , the Nordic Council , the Visegrad countries, or even further. In 2018, a renewed political declaration was adopted between Benelux and North Rhine-Westphalia to give cooperation a further impetus. The Benelux

12423-620: The rest of the trail in Brandenburg. In Poland, E11 continues east, then northeast, to pass the cities of Międzychód , Poznań , Gniezno , Toruń , Brodnica , Iława , Olsztyn and Gołdap to the township of Ogrodniki, Sejny County on the Lithuanian border. As 30% of Poland is covered with forest, it is not surprising that most of E11 crosses through vast areas with trees (mostly planted and exploited commercially), and various wild areas, such as lakes and dunes. Near Poznań, however,

12546-579: The rolling lowlands of Northern Germany and Poland, then goes through the Baltic states. Nowhere on the way to Estonia does it touch a sea (not even the North Sea, as E11 starts in Scheveningen behind the first rows of buildings), but it passes a single medium-sized mountain range, the Harz Mountains in the center of Germany. But in Estonia on the northern shores of Lake Peipus and in some places along

12669-559: The route to help you get your bearings in nature and not lose track of the road. In populated areas, it is marked by stickers on road signs and other objects. The Forest Trail can be started from any physically available location and it can be hiked in both ways (there are markers in both directions). The most forested area of Lithuania (Lazdijai (Polish/Lithuanian border) - Nemunaitis, day 51 - 56) Benelux The Benelux Union ( Dutch : Benelux Unie ; French : Union Benelux ; Luxembourgish : Benelux-Unioun ) or Benelux

12792-414: The same for a different reason: the forested hilltops are more pleasant to walk in than the congested lower areas. From 1970, a regional hiking trail in Germany was gradually extended into The Netherlands until in 1980 the twin cities Haarlem and Osnabrück could present an ongoing international long distance path from West of Amsterdam to the then internal German border in the Harz Mountains . After

12915-407: The same route as the E11, so that the yellow and blue shells yield an alternative marking to reach Polanowice. In this soviet-industrial village two rusty signs with white-red-white stripes are found, which still clearly indicate E11 (200 km after the previous E11 sign). A rustic tree lane brings the rambler to Kruszwica , a provincial town with some interesting churches, but no clue where E11 and

13038-464: The sea, thus contributing to the development of the country. IJsselmeer is the most famous polder project of the Netherlands. Some other countries which have polders are Bangladesh , Belgium , Canada and China . Some examples of Dutch polder projects are Beemster , Schermer , Flevopolder and Noordoostpolder . The Dutch word polder derives successively from Middle Dutch polre , from Old Dutch polra , and ultimately from pol- ,

13161-470: The so-called Pentalateral Energy Forum , a regional cooperation group formed of five members—the Benelux states, France , Germany , Austria , and Switzerland . Formed on 6 June 2007, the ministers for energy from the various countries represent a total of 200 million residents and 40% of the European electricity network. In 2017 the members of the Benelux, the Baltic Assembly , three members of

13284-479: The springs of the Łyna River , which E11 then begins to follow all the way through Olsztyn to Lidzbark Warmiński. A little further down is the conservation area of Las Warminski , which is especially interesting. It shows the results of decades of minimal management, with nature returning to its course before mankind settled in the area. Rare species may be encountered here, including the Eurasian lynx , according to

13407-604: The surrounding dikes. Dikes are typically built with locally available materials, and each material has its own risks: sand is prone to collapse owing to saturation by water; dry peat is lighter than water and potentially unable to retain water in very dry seasons. Some animals dig tunnels in the barrier, allowing water to infiltrate the structure; the muskrat is known for this activity and hunted in certain European countries because of it. Polders are most commonly, though not exclusively, found in river deltas, former fenlands , and coastal areas. Flooding of polders has also been used as

13530-664: The three countries signed the London Customs Convention , the treaty that established the Benelux Customs Union. Ratified in 1947, the treaty was in force from 1948 until it was superseded by the Benelux Economic Union. The initial form of economic cooperation expanded steadily over time, leading to the signing of the treaty establishing the Benelux Economic Union ( Benelux Economische Unie , Union Économique Benelux ) on 3 February 1958 in The Hague , which came into force on 1 November 1960. Initially,

13653-528: The town centre of Toruń . From the PTTK office in Toruń , E11 is identical to a trail marked white-yellow-white, which leads all the way to Samborowo, 200 km to the Northeast. E11 and St. James Way avoid the historical town center of Toruń and pass between the old city walls and the river Wisla , but it is far more interesting to cross the city center from the PTTK office by Różana, Szeroka and Wielkie Garbary to

13776-697: The town of Lazdijai in Lithuania and passes through Dzūkija National Park and Žemaitija National Park and eight regional nature parks in Lithuania. The total length of the route in Lithuania is 747 km and it is divided into 5 sections: Dzūkija ethnographic region, Along Nemunas river loops, Kaunas and Kaunas District, Along the banks of the Dubysa river valley, Žemaitija ethnographic region. These sections are divided into ~20 km long stages with accommodation and transport options. There are specific markers (white-orange-white) on trees and other objects along

13899-650: The town of Seelow . From here, the rambler may choose a more western trail over the hills of Lebus to Jacobsdorf or, more to the East, the trail that, after the village of Reitwein , follows the River Oder to the South. Both variants meet each other in Frankfurt (Oder) , where the German part of E11 ends on the bridge over the Oder to Poland. In Brandenburg and Berlin, E11 is marked in various ways. This part of E11

14022-401: The township of Seesen . Although the mountain range offers summits of 1000 meters and more (the famous Brocken is over 1100 meters high), E11 does not climb higher than 500 meters and keeps mostly to the lower parts of the northern slopes. It crosses through a few townships well known from early German history: Goslar (junctions with E6 ) and Bad Harzburg . The little River Ecker used to be

14145-437: The trail. The trail can be walked at any time of year, but the Polish winter is long, with a lot of snow. The highest point of E11 is 514 meters on the slopes of the Harz Mountains, whereas the lowest point is slightly under sea level in one of the polders in the West of The Netherlands. Apart from getting lost in the vast Polish forests, there seem to be few hazards other than the occasional wild boar or gray wolf , or even

14268-467: The train station of Toruń-Miasto. Out of town, the trails follow a main road till Fort Sobieskiego. They turn right into the forest near the river Wisla , enter suburbs and later pass through forest for a couple of hours. After crossing the busy motorway A10 near Brzozówka , E11 turns left into an overgrown footpath between fields and later reaches Mierzynek over a sandy road. From Lelitowo to Ciechocin and again to Golub-Dobrzyń , E11 continues through

14391-507: The union. The main objectives of the treaty are the continuation and enlargement of the cooperation between the three member states within a larger European context. The renewed treaty explicitly foresees the possibility that the Benelux countries will cooperate with other European member states or with regional cooperation structures. The new Benelux cooperation focuses on three main topics: internal market and economic union, sustainability, justice and internal affairs. The number of structures in

14514-467: The website Spazieren.de. In its present form, from Bad Bentheim to Osnabrück, the Töddenweg measures 110 kilometers. It is marked by stickers with a white capital T on a black square, or by a simple T painted on trees and walls. It cruises slightly elevated above the surrounding agrarian land. The continuation after Osnabrück's monumental railway station is called Wittekindsweg (Widukind's Way), named after Widukind , an 8th-Century war leader who long upheld

14637-541: The world, but the Dutch created the Netherlands". The Dutch have a long history of reclamation of marshes and fenland, resulting in some 3,000 polders nationwide. By 1961, about half of the country's land, 18,000 square kilometres (6,800 sq mi), was reclaimed from the sea. About half the total surface area of polders in northwest Europe is in the Netherlands. The first embankments in Europe were constructed in Roman times. The first polders were constructed in

14760-488: Was created in 1955. This parliamentary assembly is composed of 49 members from the respective national parliaments (21 members of the Dutch parliament, 21 members of the Belgian national and regional parliaments, and 7 members of the Luxembourg parliament). Its members inform and advise their respective governments on all Benelux matters. On 20 January 2015, the governments of the three countries, including, as far as Belgium

14883-697: Was held in Luxembourg. In 2020, a Benelux summit was held – online, due to the COVID-19 pandemic – under Dutch Presidency on 7 October between the prime ministers. As of 1 January 2017, a new arrangement for NATO Air Policing started for the airspace of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxemburg (Benelux). The Belgian Air Component and the Royal Netherlands Air Force will take four-month turns to ensure that Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) fighter jets are available at all times to be launched under NATO control. The Benelux countries also work together in

15006-514: Was limited to a period of 50 years. During the following years, and even more so after the creation of the European Union, the Benelux cooperation focused on developing other fields of activity within a constantly changing international context. At the end of the 50 years, the governments of the three Benelux countries decided to renew the agreement, taking into account the new aspects of the Benelux-cooperation – such as security – and

15129-626: Was more interested in himself attacking to the East and saw no need for a defense system that, from his point of view, lay somewhere inland in his dreamed Great Germany. The spot offers now the unique possibility of following E11 underground. The blue trail carries E11 on to the township of Gościkowo, where the Paradyż Abbey sometimes hosts tired ramblers overnight, provided they accept the sober rules of monk life. After Gościkowo, white-green-white marks lead through some 30 km of forest to Bobowicko. Actually, between Kursko and Bobowicko, E11 follows

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