Mighty winding towers, historic tunnels and water pipes from Roman times: sometimes the witnesses of bygone times are visible from afar, sometimes the traces can only be discovered underground if you look closely. Either way, industrial culture and the art of engineering can be explored on foot. These hiking trails lead through beautiful landscapes of the present into the heart of the past.
Our favourite toursHiking with industrial culture
- Viadukt Wanderweg um Altenbeken
Tourismus NRW e.V., Johannes Höhn, Viaduct with trees near Altenbecken Altenbeken Learn moreDiscover railroad history at every turn on the 30-kilometre viaduct hiking trail near Altenbeken. The largest sand-lime brick bridge in Europe also offers beautiful views of the Teutoburg Forest region. - ZollvereinSteig
Tourismus NRW e.V., Zollverein colliery twin winding tower in Essen Essen Open todayLearn moreThose who hike the ZollvereinSteig experience exciting contrasts. Here, lush green parks meet unique industrial culture and lovingly tended allotments meet imposing slag heap art. - Three Valleys Tour
Simon Says Media, Müngsten Bridge Solingen Open todayLearn moreHiking where hammers and grindstones once set the tone: The Drei-Täler-Tour leads for around 30 kilometers along various watercourses and past relics such as cottages and forges that tell of the hard-working past. - Römerkanal-Wanderweg
Maximilian Hulisz, Tourismus NRW e.V., Aqueduct of the former Roman canal near Mechernich-Vussem Nettersheim Learn moreHistory step by step: The Roman Canal Hiking Trail follows a Roman water pipeline and leads in 7 stages from Nettersheim to Cologne in the footsteps of Roman engineering. - Wittgensteiner Schieferpfad (Wittgenstein slate trail) - An exciting Adventure
Tina Scheffler, BLB-Tourismus GmbH, Child in tunnel on Wittgenstein slate path Bad Berleburg Raumland Learn moreAn eventful tour through fabulous forests, past imposing rocky landscapes and along winding paths. The hiking trail promises a real adventure! - Copper Route
Christian Altena, Stolberg Castle with flowering cherry trees Prüm Learn moreOn the trail of copper: experience the fascinating combination of industrial culture and nature on the Stolberg copper route. Discover historic copper yards, Stolberg Castle and idyllic landscapes along a 16-kilometre route in the Eifel. - Bergbauweg (Rösrath Mining Trail) Streifzug #15
Holger Hage für "Das Bergische", Hiker stands in front of a headframe with an information board in front of it Rösrath Open todayLearn moreWhere the Romans dug for ore - 2,000 years of mining in Rösrath. Along the trail, ten stations provide information about the development of ore mining, the technology used and the legends surrounding Lüderich mountain.
