Water wonderlandBergisches Land

Before you make your way to me, a little tip: make sure you pack your swimsuit in warm weather! Because I'm built close to water. With no fewer than twelve reservoirs and bathing lakes located in the dense forests between the Ruhr region and the Rhineland, I'm the only one in Europe. So if blue and green are also your favourite colours, come and visit me in the Bergisches Land. Just let me know in advance and I'll get everything ready for a Bergisch coffee table. You like brown bread with cake, don't you? But there are also waffles with rice pudding and cinnamon and grey bread with liver sausage ... I also serve freshly brewed coffee from the Dröppelminna. Can you smell the wonderful aroma?

Or are you still letting the wind blow around your nose? You're travelling pretty fast. No wonder. Because contrary to what the name Bergisches Land might suggest - it comes from the Counts of Berg, by the way - my almost legendary cycle paths hardly any climbs. The routes are called, for example Balkan Route or the Corkscrew Route and, as you may have guessed, run along disused railway lines alongside rivers and reservoirs. In the past, at the beginning of industrialisation, I was one of the most important business locations in Germany and there were lots of goods trains on the way. Some small cottages and grinding shops are still a reminder of this, and some are still in operation. If you have a bit of time, why not take a look?