The discovery loop "Traces of the Coal Driver" combines nature, culture and sights in and around Velbert-Langenberg. The organic farms along the route in the Windrath Valley have farm shops where hikers can stock up on regional products. Cozy outdoor restaurants in the historic old town of Langenberg, the book town of Langenberg with numerous antiquarian bookshops, art and culture invite you to linger and rest.
The coal driver's paths from Essen-Kupferdreh via Velbert-Nierenhof and -Langenberg to Wuppertal-Dönberg and into the Bergisches Land previously led past these farms. The coal driver routes were the first transport routes of the early hard coal mining. The laborious transport of the black gold was carried out on horseback. Steep inclines had to be overcome, often the horse and coal driver could only walk one behind the other.
A part of the coal driver's path was replaced in 1831 by the "Prinz-Wilhelm-Bahn" railway line in the valley. Horses pulled the wagons from Kupferdreh to Kidney. Only with the extension to Wuppertal-Vohwinkel in 1847 were these replaced by steam locomotives. The paths of the coal drivers remained and are a reminder of this past.
Good to know
Arrival & Parking
Public transportation
Citizens bus Langenberg: www.buergerbus-langenberg.de
author
Office for Culture and Tourism
Organization