Journey back to Germany's industrial past: Industrial Heritage Cycle Route

This cycle route explores Germany's industrial heritage in the Ruhr region. It takes you through one of Germany's most unusual cycling regions, featuring monuments from 150 years of industrial history.

This diverse route offers a variety of options from one-day tours to multi-day trips, with the opportunity to experience the landmarks of the Ruhr region at close quarters: blast furnaces, gasometers, collieries and winding towers. Today, these decommissioned sites are remarkable industrial monuments where people can enjoy art and culture and a variety of leisure pursuits. The gasometer in Oberhausen exemplifies this transformation. Standing at an impressive 117 metres, it been converted into Europe's tallest exhibition hall. This blend of spectacular industrial architecture put to creative reuse and captivating landscapes makes a cycling tour through the Ruhr region a truly exceptional experience. Terrain: network of cycle paths consisting of two main routes – the Emscher Park Cycle Route and the Ruhr Region Circular Route. Paths run mainly along disused railway lines, riverbanks, forest paths and roads with little traffic. The main routes are connected by north-south links. Mostly level profile; around half of the paths are surfaced with asphalt and half with crushed brick/stone. Scenery: the Industrial Heritage Cycle Route explores the industrial monuments of the Ruhr region as well as its scenic highlights such as Emscher Landscape Park, forests, rivers and canals.

• Length: 700 kilometres, network of cycle paths
• Route info: mainly flat terrain, easily managed with children