Stage 4 - Havelberg to Tangermünde - 38.9 km

The day began with breakfast at the Stendal country bakery in Havelberg, offering a beautiful view of the church. We were able to plan our tour at a relaxed pace, as the leg to Tangermünde is short. The first highlight was our crossing of the Elbe on the Sandau ferry. Then it wasn't long before we arrived at the Mercer pulp mill. Before we planned our tour, Uwe had seen that there was a fire service technical center nearby. Once there, we chatted with a few employees from the FTZ. The old hand pump in the picture was used for firefighting in Berlin in the 1940s. We also learned that a nuclear power plant was planned to be built on the site of today's pulp mill. However, these plans were abandoned after the Chernobyl disaster and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Remains of the reactor and the originally planned cooling pumps can still be seen today. After a few kilometers, we reached the over 1,000-year-old town of Arneburg and struck up a conversation with Pastor Janette Obera. We had already met her three years ago, when Philipp duly asked if he could play the organ. Unfortunately, it wasn't playable today, as the church was currently under construction. A few minutes later, we received a donation from her mother, with whom we also briefly discussed our project.Afterwards, we drove to the Arneburg viewing platform and enjoyed the view of the Elbe Valley.

On the way from Arneburg to Hämerten, we were able to enjoy a few plums from the tree, which grow in abundance along the bike path. But shortly after this delicious refreshment, we had a rude awakening. Uwe's bike had developed a flat tire on the rear wheel. A quick call to Pastor Voigtländer was all it took, and he set out to pick up Uwe and his bike and take them to the bike shop in Tangermünde. We're already very familiar with the shop and can recommend it with a clear conscience. Thanks to Otto-Fabian Voigtländer, who helped us in our time of need. So, everything turned out well, and we were able to check into the hotel that afternoon and prepare for our concert.

Tangermünde has been one of the cities we almost always visit since our first Herzenstour, because it's simply beautiful. Today, however, we played a benefit concert at St. Stephen's Church for the first time. Philipp was visibly delighted to be able to play the 400-year-old Scherer organ again. It's a special experience for an organist to play such a historically significant instrument, but it also involved the special fact that we had to change a section of the program because a planned piece couldn't be played on the organ. Linda's speech and the song "I am with you" once again moved many of the visitors to tears. We were delighted that around 40 people made the trip and that a substantial amount of donations was collected.

Linda and Philipp were also happy to meet their old pastor and friend Otto-Fabian Voigtländer, who has been working here since July 1, 2024. We had dinner with him and Alexander. A special highlight, besides our concert, was climbing the tower and enjoying the view over the beautiful town of Tangermünde. Uwe counted about 270 steps. But the view was worth the effort. On the way up, you could occasionally spot a Tauber bird, which likes to make itself comfortable in the air holes.

We rounded off the evening with a cozy dinner and were later approached again by a young woman who told us she followed us on Facebook. She then presented us with a donation. Thank you so much!

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the following people today:

Tangermünde Parish & Otto-Fabian Voigtländer: That we were allowed to play our concert here

Melanie Busse, owner of Schlosshotel Tangermünde: For the free overnight stay