Ruhr area - round trip through the area

On the "Route of Industrial Culture" cycle path you cycle along the Rhine-Herne Canal to the LWL-Industriemuseum Henrichenburg ship lift, a 14-meter-high "lift for ships" from 1899. When it was created, it was considered a technical masterpiece. Enjoy the newly expanded Emscher cycle path in an ecologically redesigned landscape. After a detour to the Hansa coking plant and the Borussia Dortmund football stadium, you will reach the gigantic structure of the Phoenix West steelworks, which was active until 1998, in the afternoon. Here you start the Skywalk, a two-hour guided tour at dizzy heights (incl.). In the evening, the beautiful promenade at Lake Phoenix, Dortmund's new landmark and leisure area, beckons.

Overnight place: Dortmund

Today you cycle on the Rheinischer Esel cycle path, a disused railway line, through rural surroundings to Witten. In the Muttental, the “cradle of Ruhr mining”, you reach the Nachtigall colliery, which put one of the first underground mine shafts into operation in the 19th century. With a helmet and miner's lamp, you go underground to a real coal seam (included). In the afternoon you cycle on the well-developed Ruhr Valley cycle path along Lake Kemnader to Hattingen with its half-timbered idyll in the historic center.

Overnight place: hattingen

Look forward to an exciting tour of the Henrichshütte Industrial Museum in Hattingen (incl.). The oldest blast furnace in the district is located here and was in operation until 1987. 10.000 people worked on the huge area. You then follow the Ruhrtal cycle path through green landscapes to Lake Baldeney. In the afternoon, visit the castle-like Villa Hügel with its extensive English landscape park, which was built by the industrialist Alfred Krupp in the 19th century as his own residential and representative house, before you finally reach Kettwig with its cute old town.

Overnight place: Kettwig

Visit the award-winning Aquarius Water Museum in Mühlheim on this short day trip. In the early afternoon there is enough time in Duisburg for a harbor tour through the largest inland port in the world. In the evening, stroll through the inner harbor, which is a prime example of structural change in the Ruhr area. Here, which was the city's central port and trading center for over a century, a place has now emerged that attractively combines working, living, culture, gastronomy and leisure.

Overnight place: Duisburg

On the Rhine cycle path and the “Industrial Heritage Route” you cycle to the Duisburg-Nord Landscape Park. The disused ironworks is now a metropolitan oasis with around 250 cultural events and 1 million visitors per year and is one of the ten best city parks in the world (incl.). Look forward to a guided tour by bike across the 180 hectare area. You then cycle on a disused freight railway line to Oberhausen. If you want, you can visit the famous Gasometer before the cycle path takes you to the Bottrop Tetrahedron, a viewing platform with an all-round view. Then we continue to Essen.

Overnight place: Essen

You start with a tour of the Zollverein Coal Mine (UNESCO World Heritage Site and known as the most beautiful colliery in the world) (incl.). Then you cycle on a former mine railway line to the iconic cyclist meeting point “Holgers Erzbahnbude” (be sure to try the original red/white currywurst). In the afternoon you reach the Hoheward waste dump. Together with the Hoppenbruch dump, today's approx. 220 hectare local recreation area offers a balcony promenade that runs all around it. At the top you will be rewarded with the best all-round view of the entire Ruhr area. You whiz downwards over the Dragon Bridge towards Herne.

Overnight place: Herne

After the end of this cycle tour, you will surely have fond memories of this unique cultural landscape in Europe for a long time to come!

Overnight place: Herne