The 20th anniversary of the 385-kilometer-long Ems cycle path between its starting point in the Senne community of Hövelhof and the destination in Emden has been celebrated with many festivals and meetings since spring. Now the finale of the anniversary year was celebrated on the North Sea island of Borkum, which has been the "plus point" of the successful cycle route for years, at the end of the cycling season.

A visible sign of the Ems cycle path in the middle of the North Sea is the three-meter-high paved new trademark of the Ems cycle path at the junction of Bismarckstrasse and Jann-Berghaus-Strasse, in the direction of the always well-visited promenade of the North Sea spa. Each of the approximately 300.000 annual Borkum guests will now have a section of the Ems cycle path under their feet.

The paving naturally has a special connection to the municipality of Hövelhof, because the stones for the new logo of the Ems cycle path come directly from the starting point in the Senne municipality. Until spring they were part of the old Ems cycle path logo at the Ems information center. Thrifty as the Westphalians are, they saved the stones and brought them to the island for the new laying by their colleagues from Borkum.

The new trademark was now officially unveiled together with an information board during a celebration on the island. In attendance were the two mayors, Michael Berens, and his Borkum counterpart, Jürgen Akkermann, Borkum tourism director Pia Hosemann, marketing manager of Nordseeheilbad Borkum GmbH Daniela Kastrau and Thomas Westhof, Hövelhof tourism director. Guests and hosts were flanked by the two local mascots "Hövel-Schnucki" and "Eilert" as well as other guests of honor who have made a valuable contribution to the friendly relationship between Borkum and Hövelhof.

For Thomas Westhof, the unveiling of the paved logo and the information boards at the tourist information office about the North Sea island's cooperation with the Ems cycle path was "almost an accolade", as the East Frisians are in a different league. With the logo in a prominent place on the island, "a wish of many years" has come true for him. Hövelhof's mayor Michael Berens was also "proud and grateful" and underlined the good and successful cooperation between the municipalities at both ends of the cycle route, which this year again ranks among the "top 10" of the most frequently cycled long-distance cycle routes in Germany. "Now a part of Hövelhof can be experienced forever on Borkum," said Berens.

"Borkum is a plus point and the ideal addition to the Ems cycle path! Anyone who has made it from Hövelhof to Emden in the saddle can treat themselves to a break on Borkum. We are pleased that the cooperation will continue for the next few years and that guests will also notice the beautiful insignia on the promenade," says tourism director Pia Hosemann.
Borkum's mayor Jürgen Akkermann: "The connection between Borkum and Hövelhof does not only exist on paper, but also physically through the Ems cycle path. The fact that the North Sea separates us is due to nature. It is all the more beautiful that this beautiful paving directly on the promenade means that the common bond is now visible on the island. We are happy about every cyclist on the Ems cycle path and of course about everyone who wants to relax on Borkum afterwards."

And Borkum's mayor Jürgen Akkermann is already looking forward to a return visit to Sennesand, to which Mayor Michael Berens has immediately invited the Borkum team.