Unna: Cycling Routes, Water and Industrial Heritage

Cycling through towns and countryside

The RadKreisUnna route is almost 100 km long and connects sights, historic towns, industrial heritage and landscapes. If you prefer to plan individual circular tours, the A-Wege cycling programme offers eleven routes of varying lengths and difficulty levels. Each municipality in the district can also be explored by bike on its own circular route. This gives you the choice between a longer route and a tour focused on a single municipality.

Maps help you plan rides on the A-Wege routes: they include distances, approximate journey times and the elevation gain to be covered. A GPX file is available via a QR code; the maps also provide descriptions of sights and information about the route. Families can pick up the Explorer Pass, which features ten cycling and hiking tours through all the towns and municipalities. It takes you to sights that are particularly interesting for children and invite them to get involved. The hiking tours are generally 10 km long, while the cycling tours are generally 20 km long.

Hiking through forests and along pilgrimage routes

Numerous hiking routes run through the forests near Cappenberg. The “Forests near Cappenberg” have been designated a Special Area of Conservation by the European Union and a nature reserve by the Unna district. The Cappenberg Forest School is also recommended as a family-friendly destination in the woodland. If you would like to include longer routes, consider the WestfalenWanderWeg: it runs from Hattingen to Altenbeken and, in the Unna district, follows the foothills of the Ardey Hills and the Haarstrang ridge. Hiking trails in the district are waymarked.

The Westphalian Way of St James also offers opportunities for a walking holiday. The north–south route runs from Münster and Werne via Lünen to Dortmund. The east–west route follows the old Hellweg through Unna. This gives you a choice of different routes, from walks in the Cappenberg forests to sections of the Way of St James.

Water destinations and riverside landscapes

The Unna district offers canoeing on the Lippe and, in particular, the Ruhr. The Datteln-Hamm Canal is suitable for motorboats. In Bergkamen, Marina Rünthe is a watersports hub; even if you would rather stay on land, you can admire the boats in the harbour. The Preußenhafen waterway rest stop is located in Lünen on the Datteln-Hamm Canal and is a stopover and excursion destination for hikers and cyclists. On the east bank, the harbour building houses a tourist information office and a kiosk with a snack area.

The lakes differ in how they were formed and in their features. Ternscher See in Selm is fed exclusively by springs and groundwater. It was created during the expansion of the Dortmund-Ems Canal in the early 1930s, covers around 15 hectares and is up to 9 m deep. Seepark Lünen covers around 60 hectares. It was created on a former subsidence area, which was restored to nature for the 1996 State Garden Show. At its heart is the approximately 9-hectare Horstmarer See, with a sandy beach and shallow shoreline.

Industrial heritage and architectural history

In Unna, Lindenbrauerei combines a historic industrial façade with a modern cultural and communications centre. It houses a theatre, trendy bars and the Centre for International Light Art; Lindenbrauerei is also an anchor point on the Route of Industrial Heritage. In Bönen, the Königsborn III/IV headframe has become an established venue for music and cabaret. Events held there have included Extraschicht, film screenings and music festivals. Those interested in its construction can climb the stairs through the interior to a height of 55 m.

Other historic buildings include Cappenberg Castle in Selm, a significant example of Westphalian Baroque monastery architecture, and the three-aisled Romanesque pillar basilica of the Cappenberg Collegiate Church, completed in 1148. Haus Opherdicke has foundations dating back to the 12th century and is considered an example of how historic preservation can be combined with contemporary use. Haus Opherdicke Museum offers exhibitions, guided tours for groups such as seniors and school classes, and workshops where visitors can paint with a brush themselves. The Rohrmeisterei in Schwerte adds an industrial monument with cultural offerings to the region’s industrial heritage.

For further information about the Unna district: Unna, Lünen, Kamen, Bergkamen, Fröndenberg/Ruhr, Schwerte, Holzwickede, Werne, Selm and Bönen.

For the broader travel overview: North Rhine-Westphalia.