Heiligenhaus: Cycling Routes, Nature and Museums

Cycling and hiking in different formats

The PanoramaRadweg niederbergbahn, almost 40 kilometres long, follows a disused historic railway line and connects Haan, Wülfrath, Velbert and Heiligenhaus. In Heiligenhaus, the first and only wagon bridge of its kind in Germany is located along this cycling route. This gives the route a distinctive link to the line’s former use. If you are interested in a longer cycling tour, you will find a route connecting several towns here; the wagon bridge is a special feature of the section in Heiligenhaus.

Another hiking option is the “Heiligenhauser Runde” discovery loop. This circular themed trail is of moderate difficulty and around 7.78 kilometres long. It passes through the Rinderbachtal and Vogelsangbachtal nature reserves. Its circular route and stated difficulty give you a clear guide when choosing a tour. A Heiligenhaus leisure map also brings together hiking and cycling routes of different lengths and difficulty levels. This lets you look for the type of route and level of challenge that suit you, rather than planning every outing around the same kind of tour.

Museums exploring everyday life, forests and technology

The permanent exhibition at the Abtsküche Museum presents life and work in Heiligenhaus between tradition and modernity. Exhibits and installations focus on domestic work, school, pre-industrial crafts and the beginnings of the lock industry. This makes a visit appealing if, alongside nature walks, you are looking for insights into the town’s working and everyday history. The museum also hosts special exhibitions and activities such as museum nights, book flea markets, markets and festivals, as well as dialect events and concerts.

Using a collection spanning more than 100 years of firefighting history, the Heiligenhaus Firefighting Museum tells the story of how firefighting techniques developed. Its museum barn displays numerous largely operational vintage fire engines. They date from seven decades of fire engine development. If you are interested in technology, you can learn about the development of firefighting methods and vehicles as two different aspects of firefighting history.

The Forest Museum offers another perspective on a different subject: housed in a former waterworks, it has an exhibition about people and forests. Located in the Abtsküche Nature Experience Park, it allows visitors of all ages to touch, see and learn about many things. The Heiligenhaus Environmental Education Centre also offers tours of its natural history collection, which includes bird and animal exhibits, as well as guided forest walks.

Enjoy the outdoors and choose outings that suit you

Abtskücher Teich is an impounded pond in the local recreation area on the edge of Heiligenhaus. It is a place for hiking and walking, observing flora and fauna, or taking a break and relaxing. If you would prefer to combine an outing with a guided activity, you could consider a forest walk led by the Environmental Education Centre. For an active stay with children, the low ropes course at the sports field is another specific option: across around 3,800 square metres, it features more than 70 metres of rope courses, a bouldering wall and a versatile sports area.

When planning a visit to a swimming pool, note the current status: Heljensbad is currently closed and is not expected to reopen until 2028. When choosing your holiday apartment, you can therefore base your priorities on the outings you actually want to take – such as cycling and hiking tours, nature experiences or cultural activities. The different themes offer opportunities to shape your stay around your travel plans.

More local pages: Erkrath, Hilden, Ratingen, Velbert, Wülfrath, Monheim am Rhein, Haan, Langenfeld.

To the higher-level travel overview: Mettmann.