Abgesagt | Radtour durch die Villewälder - Natur pur, Badeseen und ein bisschen Kohle

In the organizer's words:

• NRW's most successful amusement park was built on a former open-cast mine?
• The popular villa lakes on the outskirts of Cologne are actually old lignite mines?
• Lignite was mined just a few kilometers from Cologne's city center 300 years ago?
• Many people had to leave their homes on the outskirts of Cologne because of lignite? Some even twice?

On a bike tour through the Viellewälder, where the beginnings of the Rhenish lignite mining area lie, there is more than just an aha moment and connoisseurs of the region will also get their money's worth here! The tour through the southern district is one thing above all: very green and close to nature. Half of it runs through the forests of the Villerücken. Of course, we will only see breeding swans like in the photo on the tours in spring - but there are impressive nature experiences at any time of year.

We will meet at Cologne Central Station at 10:15 and take the RE 5 to Brühl at 10:32.

From Brühl, we take a leisurely ride past very idyllic little lakes and old forest stands that have been spared by the lignite industry. It's hard to imagine today that 100 years ago everything here, just a few kilometers from downtown Cologne, was a lunar landscape. But with an expert eye, we discover one or two traces of lignite, which we follow northwards to the first large open-cast mines. After about 15 km, we have the opportunity to buy some food and drink. At around 1 p.m., we stop for lunch at one of the many lakes, where we can go for a swim. Afterwards, the route becomes more industrial and, after visiting the first resettlement site in the area, we arrive at the former Frechen opencast mine. We always have the Knapsack Chemical Park and its characteristic landmarks in view. Before we take the train back to Horrem station, we take a look at the numerous villages that disappeared in the Frechen open-cast mine and find out why the open-cast mine site received a papal blessing after its excavation.

Even long-established Cologne residents will learn something new on this tour and take home one or two insider tips.

End point of the tour: approx. 18:00 at Horrem station. The S12, S19, RE1, RE9 and RB38 to Cologne depart from here. You will be back at Cologne main station at around 18:30.

You must bring your own bike for the tour. Camera and smartphone for impressive photos as well.

Important:

The tour is around 40 - 50 km long and involves a total of 150 meters of elevation gain. However, the differences in altitude are always very even and relaxed. With a few exceptions, the paths are completely independent of car traffic and are very quiet and pleasant to ride.

The bike tours take place in small groups with a maximum of 12 participants. If the weather is bad, the routes will be shorter and the excursion program described above will have to be shortened accordingly. There is no guarantee that the entire excursion program will be carried out.

In the event of an official weather warning before the start of the excursion, the tour will be canceled and the registered participants will receive their money back.

The price does not include meals. The ticket for the train and a supplementary ticket for the bicycle must also be purchased independently.