Bestwig Panorama Trail (B)

The first tour on the Bestwig Panorama Trail begins at the town hall in Bestwig. The first ascent is to Westfeld. With a view of the reservoir, the route continues along the Alter Heerweg and the Oehrenstein, past the Hexenplätzchen to the Andreasberg leisure complex. While Dörnberg was first mentioned in 1759, Andreasberg, located slightly below, is the youngest village in the municipality of Bestwig. In the course of the mining boom, which can probably only be compared to a gold rush, a trek from Saxony moved into the houses, which had previously been put together by the mine management, in just one day in 1854.The large recreational area in Andreasberg invites you to take a break. From the mining village of Andreasberg, the tour leads over the cliffs and the Stüppel, with views of the Hunau and along the Fort Fun Abenteuerland leisure park to Bestwig-Wasserfall. The village is named after the only natural waterfall in North Rhine-Westphalia, which is located below the village, but which only carries water periodically. The first documented mention of the village of Wasserfall dates back to 1560. The first inhabitants were probably charcoal burners and miners who earned their living in the nearby Klingelborn mine. The village became famous thanks to the Fort Fun amusement park. The Stüppelturm offers a great view over large parts of the Sauerland. Other striking points along the way are the chapel, the "Plästerlegge" waterfall and the Reitmecke. The first stage ends in Heinrichsdorf (with the DAV house and Marienkapelle chapel).Heinrichsdorf is a miners' settlement dating from 1854 and the chapel, dedicated to St. Maria Goretti, was built in 1954, 100 years after the village was founded. In 2001, the German Alpine Club, Sauerland DAV section, converted the former village school into a hiking hostel. We pass Untervalme, the Maria Hilf der Christen chapel to Valme. From Valme, the route leads through the Faulenberg, the Brabecketal and the Twillmecketal to the Bastenberg above Ramsbeck. The appearance of the state-approved resort is strongly influenced by the village's centuries-long mining history. A detour to the Sauerland visitor mine (the historic mine train takes visitors 1.5 km into the Eickhoffstollen several times a day) is always worthwhile! We leave the panoramic trail and take the path to the right into the village to end our second stage there.On a mining loop past the flue gas chimney, the Venetianerstollen, the mining settlement of "Eickhagen" and via Raviele and Ostfeld, the trail leads us to Berlar. The pretty half-timbered village has the "St. Peter and Paul" chapel, a nationally renowned Icelandic horse riding school with riding stables and an old bakery at the Stehling-Witthöfer farm, where bread is baked several times a year. The route then continues to the Christmas tree village of Heringhausen with the church of St. Nicholas.From Heringhausen, the route continues via "Knippe", Winkelmanns Kreuz and the old landfill site to Ostenberg. We walk past the Ostenberg cave and the Bestwig Way of the Cross with views of the Ruhr valley to the Veleda cave and the Knükelhütte. The parish of Velmede is one of the 12 original parishes established by Charlemagne around 800. Historians assume that it was the original church of the upper Ruhrtal.The route continues to Föckinghausen. We follow the Way of the Cross and then enjoy the views over the Ruhrtal. Below the Heimberg, the path leads us to the former charcoal burner's settlement of Föckinghausen, which has now developed into a popular vacation resort. From Föckinghausen, the route takes us over the Sengenbergskopf with beautiful views of the Valmetal, Ruhrtal and Bergkloster Bestwig towards the slate village of Nuttlar. The St. Anna church is sometimes called the Sauerland Cathedral due to its dimensions. Alfertkreuzung, Kutschenweg and Kreuzweg Nuttlar are some of the next stops. After the Schlehborntal valley, the trail leads past the idyllic Mariengrotte grotto to the settlement of Dümel. We pass the fish ladder, the Ruhrauen and the Biggen Weg and then reach Ostwig via the Steinbergruine.The state-approved resort town has pretty half-timbered houses and the castle-like Ostwig House in the center. The old knight's seat has been owned by Baron von Lüninck since 1771. The ruins of a flue gas chimney are a reminder of the mining boom around Ramsbeck. A smelting plant was to be built here in Ostwig, but the planned Ramsbeck mining empire collapsed before it could be realized and the chimney was never used. Passing the Bergkloster Bestwig monastery, we return to the starting point in Bestwig.