N51.00.000 E015.00.000
My next stage destination N51.00.000 E015.00.000 is on the outskirts of Andělka in the Czech Republic, a few meters from the road on the site of an abandoned farm. The border with Poland is 500 meters west of the village, but there is no road connection to the neighboring Polish village of Lutogniewice. In the 1990s, a border crossing for pedestrians and cyclists was opened between Andělka and Lutogniewice, which I use to get to the village on a field path on my virtual bike tour. Although the road to Andělka is "drivable" from the east via Street View pictures, it seems to me as if the western edge of the town, where the pictures end, is also the end of the world. It is noticeable that a number of houses are empty and are falling into disrepair, while others right next to them are being expanded and appear well-kept. Andělka (until 1946 Engelsdorf) had 783 inhabitants in 1939, in 2001 it had only 185.
Since 2010 the point of confluence has been marked with a stone monument, which symbolizes the numbers 1 and 5.
Černousy
The way to my next stage destination can only be routed for cars or pedestrians. I opt for pedestrians and find that for a large part of the route shown, although it leads over narrow, rural roads, street view images are available. That surprised me because in Germany in rural areas, and even in medium-sized cities, I found only a few Street View images on my virtual bike route. So I can actually "cycle" my route and look at the area.
Between Ves (until 1946 Wiese) and Černousy (until 1946 Tschernhausen) I notice a house in a construction typical for this area, a half-timbered house. With this type of construction, the upper floor with the roof rests on a support frame made of wooden posts in the shape of a round arch. The ground floor is independent in or below it. On the ground floor there is the plank or block room (living area) in one part of the house, in the other part of the house, separated by a hall, utility rooms and stable in solid construction, mostly made of field stone masonry.
Zawidów
At Habartice / Zawidów (until 1945 Ebersdorf and Seidenberg) I cross the border from the Czech Republic to Poland on my virtual bike trip. The two places are directly adjacent to each other, but there are only 2 roads that lead across the border. After 1945 there was no connection between the two places, and it wasn't until 1973 that the border was reopened for car traffic. After Poland and the Czech Republic joined the Schengen Agreement in December 2007, the control posts and border security systems were dismantled.
On the small side street on my route, I notice a beautifully aged building between a number of very neglected houses. At first I assumed that this might have belonged to a factory at the end of the street that turns right at the building, the style of the buildings is quite similar. But after doing some research, I found out that this was once the customs office. Some historical pictures from 1902 to 1938 also show a border crossing on this street, presumably this was once the main connection between Ebersdorf and Seidenberg.
Leśna
Near Leśna (until 1945 Marklissa) I notice an imposing Lost Place, the Beerberg Castle. The castle was built around 1800 and was inhabited until 1945. Afterwards, an agricultural production cooperative was set up here, which used the farm buildings, but the main building fell into disrepair. A restoration began around 2000 with the aim of setting up a recreation home here. The building was badly damaged by fire in 2006, which meant that the roof had to be removed. Only the outer walls with the remains of decorations have been preserved, and the building was secured against decay by means of walled-up windows and a kind of temporary flat roof. The farm buildings, which are also no longer used today, are in a slightly better condition. The buildings and the surrounding park are listed as historical monuments. Directly on the street is another building that used to be a guest and lodging house.