Alsdorf combines energy history and industrial heritage with green spaces and paths through natural landscapes. The ENERGETICON focuses on the development of energy; Annapark recalls the former mining industry, and the Broichbachtal offers its own opportunities for walks and outdoor activities. Depending on your interests, you can include a visit to an exhibition, historic sites and time outdoors in your plans.
Experience energy and explore mining history
The ENERGETICON in Alsdorf features the permanent exhibition “From the Sun to the Sun.” It traces the development of energy. The approximately 700-metre-long visitor route comprises around 30 stations, where the subject is presented in a highly visual and hands-on way. Museum tours can be booked. If you plan to take a tour, check the current booking options before your visit.
The Förderturm headframe at the Anna mine offers another perspective on energy and mining. The Anna mine was a colliery; its 30-metre-high headframe remains at the upper end of Annapark. From the viewing platform, you can look out over the entire former colliery site and the newly developed energy park. Guided tours of the headframe and other tours on mining and energy can be booked through the Tourist Information office in the adjacent ENERGETICON. Confirm the current options before planning your visit around them.
Annapark was created after coal mining ended, on a large part of the former mine site on the outskirts of Alsdorf. Expansive lawns and seating give the former colliery site a new use. Those interested in historic buildings will find another highlight in Alsdorf Castle, a typical Rhenish moated castle. The earliest evidence of a knight’s estate dates from the 13th century; the wide moat no longer exists.
Animal park, Broichbachtal and trails
More than 300 animals from 30 mostly native species live across over 20 hectares at the Alsdorfer Weiher animal park. The Broichbachtal recreation area lies directly next to the animal park. It has playgrounds, barbecue and picnic facilities on land and by the water, pedal boats, fishing ponds and a mini-golf course. If you plan to use specific facilities, check their current availability before your visit.
The recreation area, including the animal park, serves as a starting or finishing point for various cycling and hiking routes. The routes pass through the Broichbachtal or along Alsdorf’s mining relics. The Broichbachtal nature reserve is a landscape in its own right: it covers around 42 hectares and lies on the edge of Alsdorf’s town centre; paths run through the protected area. This gives you different ways to get active, from a route connected with mining history to trails through a designated nature reserve.
The licensed Tourist Information office in the ENERGETICON provides advice on destinations in the Grünmetropole and offers tailor-made tours through natural landscapes and along cycling and hiking trails. It can also help you find your way to other destinations. For the “Around the Mining Town of Alsdorf” route, the Euregiobahn to Annapark station or stop is listed as an access point. Check the current timetable and connections before travelling; this route information does not specify the frequency or the connections available in individual cases.
The Aachen city region as a wider setting
Beyond Alsdorf, the Aachen city region can be considered as a broader travel destination. It lies in the Three Countries Region, in the far west of Germany, close to the Netherlands and Belgium. The region is characterised by varied natural landscapes, historic town centres, and cycling and hiking infrastructure. These regional opportunities are distinct from the places mentioned in Alsdorf.
Aachen offers an urban cultural highlight: its historic old town, with narrow lanes and historic squares, invites you to explore nearly 2,000 years of Aachen’s history. Aachen Cathedral has retained its role as a church and as the most important place of pilgrimage north of the Alps. For a seasonal nature experience, visit Monschau-Höfen: in April, millions of wild daffodils turn the meadows of the Perlenbach and Fuhrtsbach valleys into a sea of yellow blooms. At this time, you can hike there with a guide or independently; check the conditions and tour options in advance.
Discover more destinations: Rurberg, Stolberg, Eschweiler, Aachen, Herzogenrath, WĂĽrselen, Monschau, Baesweiler.
Back to the main travel overview: Aachen.
