The northern region in the district of Düren is a vivid example of the profound landscape and structural change caused by open-cast mining.

The indeland, named after the small river of the same name that meanders around the open-cast mine, has changed profoundly in recent decades and will continue to do so in the future. A huge lignite mine was created, for which numerous villages were dug up and people and their families relocated. With the end of open-cast mining, the remaining hole, like the Garzweiler and Hambach open-cast mines, will be flooded and in a few years' time an impressive lake landscape with a wide range of leisure activities will be created here.

But there is already a lot to discover today, because nature and culture in indeland are rich in treasures. On our tour, we pass numerous castles and palaces, as the region is one of the richest in castles in the country. We ride along the foot of the Sophienhöhe, through the Brückenkopf Park in Jülich, past the Roman Park and the Mining Museum in Aldenhoven, and the Indemann leisure complex and the Langewehe Pottery Museum are also on our route.

Route description

On our tour through the indeland, we mainly follow the signs for the Wasserburgen-Route and the RurUfer-Radweg.

From our starting point at Langerwehe station, we first head in a south-easterly direction and cycle down Bahnhofstraße to junction (KNP) 42 at the traffic circle. From here, we follow the signposted Wasserburgen route via KNp 44 to KNP 45 in Derichsweiler, passing Merode Castle on the way via a short detour (privately owned, the grounds are only accessible at events such as the Romantic Christmas Market!) At KNP 45, we leave the moated castle route and follow the signposts towards Derichsweiler and KNP 9, which we follow to the Rur in Düren.At KNP 9, we change to the RurUfer cycle path heading north (Jülich/Merken) and now follow the course of the Rur and the RurUfer cycle path that accompanies it to KNP 11 near Krauthausen (shortly before Merken, the RurUfer cycle path is closed due to the construction of a new bridge, please follow the signposted detour. Status 05/2022). From KNP 11, we follow the Wasserburgen route again and turn right towards Niederzier/Krauthausen/KNP 94. In Niederzier (historic moated castle, now the seat of the municipal administration), we first continue towards Elsdorf/Hambach/KNP 94 and turn off at the next cycle path junction onto the L 12 towards Jülich/Hambach. Two highlights await you in Hambach: Obbendorf Castle (now a hotel and event location) and Hambach Castle. After Hambach on the L 264, we head towards Jülich/Stetternich. In Stetternich, we briefly leave the moated castle route and follow the signs to KNP 95 and then the signs to Aldenhoven/Jülich/KNP 13. On the way, we pass the Lindenberg watermill. At Jülich station, we rejoin the moated castle route and follow it towards Aldenhoven/KNP 13. In Jülich, we pass the citadel and through the Brückenkopf Park towards Koslar. We stay on the Wasserburgen-Route to the Blausteinsee lake, passing the Overbach house and the Deutschordenskommende of Siersdorf on the way. At KNP 84 at Blausteinsee, we leave the Wasserburgen-Route, cycle into the village of Fronhoven, past Gasthof Rinkens and behind it turn left into Wiesenstraße and continue straight on to the end of the village. We follow the cycle route signs to the Lohn memorial chapel, where we turn right after a stop. At the Lohn memorial chapel viewpoint, we can see the Inden open-cast mine in the distance. The new Inde meanders below us and we follow it towards Inden. The cycle path along the renaturalized Inde requires careful cycling and occasional dismounting, as the path is very gravelly under the bridges and conveyor belts of the Inden open-cast mine. After leaving the valley of the new Inde, we can already see the steel Indemann, which we can only reach via a detour. Otherwise, we follow the cycle route signs and continue towards KNP 39 in Lamersdorf, then to KNP 41 towards Düren/Inden and on towards KNP 42 Luchem/Langerwehe to our starting point in Langerwehe.

Hint

Most of the castles and palaces on our route are privately owned and not accessible - or only on certain occasions. Please respect the privacy of the residents and observe the relevant signs.