Haldenglück – experience views

They are the mountains of the Ruhr area: the heaps! Emerged from the overburden
of hard coal mining and the remains of the steel industry they were for a long time
dead space. But they have been renatured and many of them by artists
striking landmarks to small landmarks of the Ruhr area. Wide panoramic views and extraordinary photo motifs - a heap is simply part of a visit to the Ruhr area. The RevierRoute "Haldenglück" leads to several heaps over a length of 39 kilometers.

The starting location
As a route tour, this RevierRoute starts directly at the main station in Essen. This means that the tour is ideally connected to long-distance and regional transport. A bike station is located directly at the main train station. If you are coming by car, we recommend parking a little further outside the city center or starting the tour at the Zollverein UNESCO World Heritage Site.

start of the tour
From the main train station, the tour first leads directly through Essen's city center in a northerly direction. From junction 57 in the university district, the route then runs along smaller city streets and past an allotment garden colony to the Zollverein UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Zollverein colliery in Essen
More than 12.000 tons of hard coal came to light here every day during the heyday of the colliery. What many do not know: about the same amount of rock material was also mined. In the coal wash, the coal was separated from the rock. Today the Ruhr Museum is located in the coal washery. Here you can learn a lot about the history of the Ruhr area - also about the heaps. An extremely worthwhile visit to start the tour.

About railway lines to the first heap
There is already a heap on the Zollverein site, but it cannot be climbed by bike. The RevierRoute then leads away from the colliery site in an easterly direction via the Zollvereinweg and later via the Kray-Wanner-Bahn. Cyclists pass the pits of Zollverein 3/7/10 and Bonifacius.

The stairway to heaven on the Rheinelbe heap
 The first heap to be climbed on this RevierRoute is the Rheinelbe heap. During the ascent, cyclists pass exhibits from the sculpture forest by the artist Herman Prigann. The main work of art is the stairway to heaven on the Haldenspitze, often referred to as the ladder to heaven. A beautiful panorama opens up from above over the western Ruhr area.
The Rheinelbe dump is one of the few burning dumps. Temperatures of up to 400 degrees Celsius were measured in it, which can be caused by high pressure, oxygen and heat build-up and which are regularly checked for safety. Of course, this is not dangerous for cyclists, on the surface you hardly notice anything.

The heap of Pluto
The tour continues via the Kray-Wanner-Bahn to the popular cyclists' hangout at the Erzbahnbude. From here, the RevierRoute now runs in a northerly direction over the Erzbahntrasse. Shortly before the Rhine-Herne Canal, a short detour branches off to the right to the Pluto spoil tip. The viewing platform is reached quickly. The panoramic view falls on several colliery towers, from the nearby Pluto colliery via the Unser Fritz and Ewald collieries in the north to the Consol colliery in the west.

The largest heap landscape in Europe
At the end of the Erzbahntrasse you cross the Rhein-Herne Canal over the beautiful Grimberger Sichel bridge. From here, the RevierRoute leads through the Emscherbruch to the Ewald colliery. Cyclists can look forward to two great heaps here, which together form the Hoheward Landscape Park, forming the largest heap landscape in Europe: the Hoppenbruch heap and the Hoheward heap.

A paradise for enduro bikers
The Halde Hoppenbruch is best known for its legal network of enduro tours for mountain bikers. But the ascent to the Haldenspitze, which is crowned with a modern wind turbine, is also worthwhile with a trekking bike. A beautiful view of the neighboring Halde Hoheward reveals the size of the heap landscape.

The sundial and horizon observatory
She is probably the queen of heaps: the mighty Hoheward heap with its two heap plateaus, on which stand a sundial and the distinctive arches of the horizon observatory. Unfortunately, due to a lack of construction, the arches, which can be seen from almost anywhere in the Ruhr area, have to be supported by steel struts. Nevertheless, the Halde Hoheward is a majestic place with an extraordinary panoramic view that far exceeds the exertion of the exhausting ascent.

The final stage
From the Hoheward heap, the tour takes you along the Avenue of Change and another railway line to Recklinghausen. From the train station, a good return journey to the starting point at Essen main station is possible.