E11: The Hague (Nl) - Augustov (Pl) - Lithuania (Lt), 2070 km

North Sea – Harz – Mark Brandenburg – Masuren

This E11 path currently measures about 2070 km, and it runs west to east, starting on the North Sea coast in The Hague in the Netherlands, and leading across Germany and Poland to the border with Lithuania.

In the Netherlands and the first part of Germany, the E11 follows well established routes, waymarked, named. From the German city of Hameln onwards, local trails are used, still waymarked. A long, long trail takes you all the way to Berlin and beyond. The Harz is a fine destination halfway, and indeed, before "die Wende" the E11 was called "Netherlands - Harz Trail", and halted at the Iron Curtain.

That's history now. We can pass the frontier, somewhere halfway the Harz, without even noticing the recent past. And the trail eventualy brings us into the heart of modern and ancient Germany, Berlin. It continues further east. The finish of the German part of the E11 is on the historic city of Frankfurt an der Oder, which now constitutes the border with Poland. 

In Poland, the E11 is not well waymarked and established as it is in The Netherlands and Germany. Even the precise course has not been defined everywhere. It will run through the heart of Poland and traverse the forests in the east of the country. The end of the trail these days is in the town of Augustów and village of Ogrodniki, in the border area with Lithuania and Belarus. Plans exist to extend the E11 into Lithuania and even Russia.

Let's have a look at the constituent parts of the E11:

Netherlands (350 km)

• The Hague, official start
• Marskramerpad, LAW 3, to the border

Germany (920 km)

• Töddenweg to Osnabrück
• (the stretch between Deventer and Osnabrück is also called the Handelsweg)
• Wittekindsweg to Lübbecke
• Wesergebirgsweg to Hameln
• Local trails, waymarked, toBerlin and Frankfurt an der Oder
• Last village in Germany Frankfurt an der Oder

Poland (800 km, partly marked)

• First village in Poland is Słubice
• Słubice - Ośno Lubuskie – Międzyrzecz – Międzychód – Toruń – Brodnica – Gołdap - Ogrodniki
• Last village in Poland is Ogrodniki

Lithuania

• Possible future extension