Tour along the Emscher and Ruhr rivers.
The Ruhr and the Emscher play a particularly important role in the
development of the region. In addition, there are several reservoirs that were
created by man and also play an important role in the water management of the Ruhr region. This RevierRoute accompanies these important river courses and leads along 62 kilometres to the important sites of the region's water management.
The starting point
The route tour begins at Dortmund's main railway station, which is ideally connected to the long-distance and regional rail network. If you are travelling by car, there are several pay-and-display car parks in the vicinity. Alternatively, the Phoenix West site would also be suitable for parking.
Start of the tour
From the main station, the tour first leads along city streets to the Emscher. Of course, there are plenty of sights to see in the centre of Dortmund. Whether the German Football Museum or the Dortmunder U, there is plenty to see here. From junction 49 onwards, the tour follows the Emscher Weg, which is also signposted separately from the junction signposting.
Like Phoenix from the ashes
The site of the former Phoenix steelworks has been given two new, completely different uses. In Phoenix West, the Skywalk invites visitors to take a tour up to the blast furnace. Meanwhile, the Phoenix East site is home to the Phoenix Lake, a recreational paradise for cyclists and pedestrians, but also for water sports enthusiasts (with boat hire).
The Emscher Weg
The tour continues to follow the Emscher Weg. The course of the stream becomes narrower and narrower and often hides under a dense canopy of leaves. In Holzwickede you then reach the Emscherquellhof, a beautiful half-timbered house with a pond.
The tour then continues along the Haarstrang to Opherdicke with the beautiful Opherdicke moated castle. After a steep descent, you reach the RuhrtalRadweg.
The RuhrtalRadweg
The route is now signposted via the RuhrtalRadweg. The route leads through the Ruhr valley to Schwerte. Here it is worth visiting the Rohrmeisterei, a former important pumping station for the drinking water supply, and the nearby mustard mill. Further downstream, cyclists reach the Ruhr reservoirs Hengsteysee and Harkortsee, which were important for keeping the river water clean. The Koepchenwerk on Lake Hengstey was one of the first large pumped storage power plants in Germany and went into operation as early as 1930. For lovers of historic castles, a detour to Werdringen moated castle in Hagen is a good idea.
Back to the starting point
At junction 10, the route turns off the Ruhr Valley Cycle Route and heads for the nearby Wetter railway station. From here, you can return to the starting point at Dortmund main station by local public transport.
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