The 10th stage of Natursteig Sieg gives your travel planning a clear hiking focus: it is more than 24 kilometers long, follows a wide loop around Birken-Honigsessen, and passes through the district of Birken by St. Elisabeth. The church also offers a specific architectural point of interest. You can therefore choose between a longer hike and a building along the route as the focus of your trip.
The Eberhard Trumler Station Wolfswinkel
The Eberhard Trumler Station Wolfswinkel researches the social behavior of dogs, especially wild dogs and hybrids. Visits are possible on weekends by prior telephone appointment; on weekdays, guided tours are available for school classes. Advance registration is required for visits. Check the current visiting arrangements before you travel so you can plan the right type of visit.
The research focus gives a visit its own theme: the behavior of dogs is at the center here, particularly that of wild dogs and hybrids. The visiting arrangements differ from those for a hike you plan yourself. While you need to register to visit the station, for Natursteig you should mainly check the latest route information and trail markings.
The 10th stage of Natursteig Sieg
At more than 24 kilometers, the 10th stage is a longer hike and makes a good standalone focus for your trip planning. Its route forms a wide loop around Birken-Honigsessen, passes through Birken, and goes by St. Elisabeth Church. The stage thus combines its length with a specific connection to the district and the building along the way.
Plan your route based on its actual length and check the latest route description before setting out. Conditions and trail markings may change. The stage length gives you a clear basis for deciding whether a longer hike should shape your stay; a walking time cannot be reliably determined from it. St. Elisabeth is along the route and offers an architectural point of reference, without making the hike a short circular walk.
St. Elisabeth: Year of construction and copper tent roof
St. Elisabeth Church in Birken was built in 1930 to designs by Dominikus Böhm, the Cologne diocesan master builder. At the time, its copper tent roof was described as unique. The year of construction, the architect's name, and the roof design give architecture enthusiasts specific points of reference for understanding the building along the stage.
If you would like to take a closer look at the church, check access arrangements before visiting. This lets you plan the hike and a possible church visit separately: the route passes St. Elisabeth, while local visiting arrangements should be checked in advance.
More to explore in the wider Altenkirchen destination
The wider Altenkirchen destination also offers historical topics with a different focus. In 1849, Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen founded the “Flammersfelder Hülfsverein zur Unterstützung unbemittelter Landwirthe” (Flammersfeld Aid Association for the Support of Impoverished Farmers) in Flammersfeld. The association was the world's first loan fund association. The site in Flammersfeld thus adds a specific historical connection to Raiffeisen and the early loan fund to the nature and hiking themes.
Another topic in the wider Altenkirchen destination is Marienthal. There, the Klosterdorfweg trail circles the former Franciscan monastery and passes through the Archdiocese of Cologne's shady spa forest. Marienthal remains a popular pilgrimage site today. The Klosterdorfweg thus combines the history of the former monastery with a route through the spa forest; the pilgrimage site offers a distinct cultural point of reference within the Altenkirchen destination.
The options mainly differ in form when deciding on your trip: a stage more than 24 kilometers long, a station visit possible only by prior arrangement, and church architecture along the hiking trail. Choose based on whether your schedule will be shaped more by the hike, the appointment for a visit, or your interest in St. Elisabeth.
Discover more destinations: Katzwinkel.
Return to the overview of the wider destination: Wissen.
