Das kleinste größte Loch NRWs! Wir umrunden den Tagebau Inden!

In the organizer's words:

At first glance, the smallest hole in the mining country seems so inconspicuous. But compared to the huge Hambach and Garzweiler opencast mines, the Inden opencast mine with its "puny" 12 km² operating area looks pretty old! And indeed it is!

Lignite has been mined here - with interruptions - since 1957. And that has made for some crazy stories over the years. The River Inde has been given a new riverbed, the village of Lohn was surrounded by two open-cast mines after it was resettled, Lake Lucherberg is currently disappearing and the 36-metre tall steel colossus "Indemann" is watching over everything.

Let's take a closer look with a bike tour on Sunday, October 19.

The meeting point for our tour is the parking lot at Schlossplatz in Jülich at 10:00 am.

We will then cycle along the idyllic Rur before turning off in the direction of the open-cast mine - into a landscape that has been profoundly changed by lignite mining. Not only did entire villages have to make way for open-cast mining, but the River Inde was also diverted and given a new, approximately ten-kilometer-long riverbed. We follow this newly created river course, which shows the extent to which man has intervened in nature here - and how the landscape can be recreated.
We then visit the resettled village of Neu-Lohn and, at the artificial Blausteinsee lake, look at the challenges and opportunities that the region will face if the largest artificial lakes in Germany are to be created after the coal mining pits are closed.

After a leisurely lunch break at the Weisweiler bakery, we climb the striking Indemann - a 36-metre-high, walk-in steel construction in the shape of a stylized man, which has since become the region's landmark.

In the afternoon, we return to the topic of water, as we then travel to the former Lake Lucherberg, which was drained and gradually disappeared into the mine. At the Merken viewpoint, we take a last look at the Inden open-cast mine before we cycle back to Jülich at a relaxed pace - mostly along the Rur.

The route is a circular route, so we are back at our starting point in Jülich at around 17:30.

I will include this tour in my 2026 excursion program. I have already tested it extensively and would like to offer it as a public trial tour this year, which is why the date on 19.10.2025 is free! 😊

Important:

Participation in the tour is free of charge. Nevertheless, it is absolutely necessary to register for the tour here via Rausgegangen in advance!

The tour is about 40 - 45 km long and includes a total elevation gain of 200 meters.
The paths are mostly free of traffic and very pleasant to ride. Occasionally, however, there are sections on larger roads with heavy traffic, which unfortunately cannot be avoided. Ride at your own risk and responsibility!

The bike tours take place in small groups with a maximum of 12 participants. There is no visit to the open-cast mine. We stay on public roads and do not enter the open-cast mine site. In bad weather, the routes will be shortened accordingly and the excursion program described above will have to be shortened accordingly. There is no guarantee that the entire excursion program will be carried out. In the event of an official storm warning before the start of the excursion, the tour will be canceled.