15 - Hasselbachrunde

Between the Mine and the Stream

The Hasselbach Loop is a roughly 13-kilometer hike through the Solchbach Valley and the forests around Zweifall. The route winds through the forests and stream valleys around Zweifall as well as along the Hasselbach Canal, illustrating how closely water, the landscape, and land use are intertwined.

Six stops illustrate how water is used and channeled here, and why streams in the forest are so important as climate buffers. At the same time, you’ll delve into the traces of mining history in the Vicht Valley: tunnels tell the story of the former underground working world and today serve, in part, as refuges for animals.

The route runs mostly along easily accessible forest and valley trails and is ideal for a half-day hike. It’s designed for anyone who wants to understand how forests, water, and land use are connected—and who enjoys taking a closer look along the way, whether at the trail’s edge, among deadwood, or by the stream.

The hike is marked with the number 15.

Highlights of the Route

• The Hasselbachgraben: a quiet hydraulic structure in the forest
• Stream landscapes as climate buffers and habitats
• Traces of historic mining around the Heinrichstollen
• Small natural details: deadwood, riparian zones, and nocturnal life in the forest

This route was developed as part of the LEADER-funded project “Quality Initiative for Hiking in Roetgen and Stolberg” with support from the European Union (EAFRD) and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.