The Great Dhünn Reservoir, an extensive network of hiking trails and historic cultural sites give a stay in Wermelskirchen a variety of focal points. You can spend your time hiking or cycling, discover the architectural history of the town church, or plan your visit around the autumn fair. When choosing when to travel, there are also practical conditions to consider: water sports are not permitted at the reservoir, and some activities are available only seasonally.
Great Dhünn Reservoir: impressive dimensions, clear rules
The Great Dhünn Reservoir is Germany’s second-largest drinking water reservoir. It lies within the area of Wermelskirchen’s districts of Dhünn, at the inlet, and Dabringhausen, at the dam. The dam in Dabringhausen-Lindscheid is 66 metres high and 400 metres long. These figures give the reservoir a tangible scale, but do not imply access to the water: water sports are not permitted there.
The 40-kilometre reservoir trail can be walked in its entirety around the Great Dhünn Reservoir all year round. This makes it an extensive circular route to consider if you want to plan your visit around the reservoir. There is more to explore on foot: Wermelskirchen has more than 250 kilometres of marked hiking trails, leading through landscapes of streams, valleys, forests and hamlets.
Plan hiking and cycling differently
One specific alternative is the Eifgenbach Trail, also known as Route No. 5. It is 14.89 kilometres long, rated moderate, and runs mostly along natural forest trails through the Eifgen Valley. Trail conditions may change seasonally. By comparison, at 40 kilometres, the reservoir trail is the longer of the two hiking options described here; only the Eifgenbach Trail is assigned a difficulty level.
From March to October, the Bergischer WanderBus runs between Odenthal and Wermelskirchen. It allows you to connect the Eifgenbach Trail with a bus journey for either the outward or return leg. Check the current timetable before planning to make sure the seasonal service fits your tour.
A cycling tour offers a different experience: the 16-kilometre route leads to the scenic Sengbach Reservoir and returns to Wermelskirchen town centre along the disused Balkantrasse railway line. Detours to Schloss Burg and Müngsten Bridge are possible. You can tailor the tour to include the destinations mentioned; the return route described follows the Balkantrasse to the town centre.
Architecture, exhibitions and the autumn fair
Wermelskirchen Town Church combines several building phases: a medieval Romanesque tower, a bulbous dome from the second half of the 18th century, and a church nave in the Prussian Neoclassical style of the mid-19th century. The tower, dome and nave reveal the architecture’s span across different periods. Various exhibitions are held throughout the year in the historic town houses at Eich 6/8.
The Markt 10 workshop is located in the Historic Building at Markt 10. Cushions, clothing and jewellery are still made there; check whether the workshop is open before visiting. If you are travelling on a fixed date, consider the Wermelskirchen Autumn Fair: its tradition dates back to a church consecration festival in 1595, and today it is celebrated with a general market on the last weekend in August.
Setting in the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis
Within the wider travel destination of Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis, the region lies at the meeting point of the greater Cologne area and the scenic Bergisches Land. One long-distance hiking trail that also passes through Wermelskirchen is the Bergischer Panoramasteig: this 244-kilometre circular trail has twelve stages through Bergisches Land Nature Park. Stages 3 and 4 run via Biesfeld in Kürten and Dhünn in Wermelskirchen, respectively. This lets you distinguish the local hiking options from a longer regional route rather than planning them as the same tour.
Discover more destinations: Overath, Kürten, Bergisch Gladbach, Odenthal, Burscheid, Rösrath, Leichlingen.
Back to the main travel overview: Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis.
