NR666: Kultur und Bergbau in Kamp-Lintfort

We begin our tour in the district of Kamp, often referred to as the 'old town' of Kamp-Lintfort. At least it is with the former Cistercian monastery Kamp that it serves as the spiritual and cultural center of the city. The origins of the monastery date back to the 12th century. Today, the Kamp monastery with its historic buildings and magnificent gardens (baroque garden, terraced garden, and herb garden) is an architectural gem. Near it are the remains of the Fossa Eugeniana, an unfinished canal between the Rhine and Maas from the time of the Spanish-Dutch war in the 17th century.

We leave the Kamp monastery heading north and traverse a short woodland. We then move east past fields and meadows and have an interesting view of the first mining relic, the winding tower of the former Rossenray shaft facility. Shortly afterward, we reach the downtown area of Kamp-Lintfort and pass the new town hall. After traversing the pedestrian zone with its numerous shops, we arrive at the mining settlement Friedrich-Heinrich, which was established in the early 20th century and is today one of the largest preserved workers' settlements in Europe. Alongside the Kamp monastery, this settlement is practically the second seedbed of the present-day city of Kamp-Lintfort. From Ringstraße, we have a good view of the preserved buildings of the Friedrich-Heinrich 1/2 shaft facility. A large part of the area of the West mine is being prepared this year for the Landesgartenschau NRW 2020 (17.04.-11.10.2020).

We leave Kamp-Lintfort and shortly after reach the outskirts of Neukirchen-Vluyn. Here we encounter the Norddeutschland heap. A stairway of 350 steps, known as the 'stairway to heaven', leads us to the summit of the heap. The effort of the ascent is worth it, as the view over large parts of the Ruhr area and the foothills of the Bergisches Land is breathtaking.

After our ascent to the heap, we mount our bikes again and ride through the northern part of the city of Neukirchen-Vluyn westwards. We next encounter Schloss Bloemersheim set in an idyllic location by the old Rhin arm, Nieper. Here begins the nature reserve 'Hacksteinkuhlen', a collection of several glacial lakes. We follow the lakes, which we can often only glimpse behind lush tree cover.

More or less we can also glimpse the remains of the Fossa Eugenia at the foot of Dachsberg, just before we reach the starting point of our bike tour, the Kamp monastery.