After having finished the German section of the Eisenach-Budapest trail, I wasn’t quite ready to put my hiking shoes away. So I headed out and started another hiking project: As many borders are still closed these days, I eventually took the opportunity to start hiking the German section of the Iron Curtain Trail/Green Belt Trail („Grünes Band“).
A next section of the German Green Belt/Iron Curtain Trail I hiked together with my mom: 4 days along the former German-German border in the valley of the river Werra. This region is known for salt mining, therefore huge salt mine dumps characterise the landscape („Monte Kali“). They are almost iconic for the area – but with them come that the river Werra is among the most polluted water bodies in Germany. Factories dump their sewage and the salt from the dumps is washed into it. Only very less species adapt to that harsh environment.