On the Gendarmen Path between Broager and Brunsnaes

Wotae: 07.08.2020

01.08.2020

Breakfast in the garden ☀️😊. We leave around 11am, first heading to Sønderborg to get the special pair of shoes we saw on Monday. Luckily, they are still there ✌️. A little stroll and then we head towards Broager, south of Sønderborg.

On the way, we stop at the Dybbøl Mølle, a windmill from 1744 (like our house in Åbenrå), which is a Danish national monument. It stands on the hill of Dybbøl Banke, where the Danish-German war in 1864 resulted in devastating losses on the Danish side and significantly shaped Denmark's relationship with Europe to this day.

The mill was destroyed and is considered a symbol of the battle. From this hill opposite Sonderborg, you have a beautiful panorama of the water and with a little effort, you can also see the city.

Just fall down and look up at the sky - that would be something

The lawns are so inviting that we briefly consider just falling down and staying in the sun - but no... A little walk has never hurt anyone.

After a short walk through the meadows and over the hills, which once housed the troops' earthworks and are now freely accessible, we continue to Broager.

Here, a section of the Gendarmenstien runs, a hiking trail that was originally a control path along the Danish-German border.

The Gendarmenstien trail marker with the section of the brickworks

Today, you can hike 74km along the Flensburger Förde. We hike the section along former brickworks. You can still see some tall chimneys in the landscape, although not along our route.

Only the museum complex Cathrinesminde is still a complete brickworks, while others are mentioned on signs but no remnants are visible.

We briefly walk through the Cathrinesminde area and then continue to Brunsnaes.

Unfortunately, the path is only asphalt behind Cathrinesminde, but it runs along the water.

By now, it's unfortunately cloudy and a few raindrops threaten our idyll. We take a walk around Brunsnaes and walk back on the Gendarmen Path to Broager.