Opaju, jürgens welt is a site where four friends go on a tour every monday

Jürgens Welt is a site where four friends go on a tour every Monday. Bike tours in summer and hikes in and around Datteln in winter. I write the tours out of my memory and on the basis of photos. In addition, I research things that we encounter during the tours that are unknown to us or that arouse our curiosity. I try to document the paths as precisely as possible so that they can be traced if necessary.

We had planned to do it for a long time, but had not yet carried it out. We had respect for the route. It would be over 80 km. And it is a demanding tour. The route through Obercastrop alone would be strenuous. But who doesn’t dare doesn’t see. So we wanted to dare to see the Kemnader See.

We met at 10 a.m. at Friedel an der Theiheide. Natz, Friedel and I with our pedelec, Willi with muscle strength. I switched on my cell phone on which I had saved the tour to Lake Kemnader. The way back on the Ruhr, and then through Witten to the donkey, Willi knew. Where we came on the donkey, we actually knew our way from there because we had already driven it. We will see if it all worked out that way.

First we had to drive through the Möllerskamp settlement towards Meckinghoven. From Theiheide we drove via Jahnstrasse and Am Dümmerbach to Zechenstrasse. There turn left to Böckenheckstrasse and onto Marienstrasse. There we turned right and drove to Pastor Eckes Weg. It went to the left to Meckinghover Weg. We turned right onto the and then drove 780 meters to Dahlstrasse. From there it went left to the Neuer Weg, which we crossed and came to Schulstraße. From there it went briefly to the left onto Bahnhofstrasse and then immediately right onto Klosterstrasse. Past the Meckinghoven monastery we reached the Dortmunder Straße. We crossed it and took a curve to the right up to the Finkenbrink. We turned left into the. At Finkenbrink it will be rural. There are some farmsteads to the right and left of the path.

In the first picture you can see the Schattenmann driving on the Meckinghover Weg. From there you always have a good view towards Erkenschwick and the Haard. The second picture shows the wind turbines on the Oelmühlenweg, at the beginning of the Haard. Picture three was taken on Klosterstrasse and shows the entrance portal of Sankt Dominikus at Meckinghoven Monastery. The fourth picture shows one of the courtyards at Finkenbrink. Pictures five and six were then taken on Beckumer Straße, which should lead us into Becklem. We crossed the Hamm-Oberhausen-Osterfeld railway line and then reached the beginning of Becklem. We turned left onto Becklemer Strasse and then drove 310 meters to the street in the hallway. We turned right into it. We drove across the street to Horneburger Straße. We turned left onto it and then reached the Suderwicher Straße after 220 meters. There we turned left and we reached the traffic lights, which we used to cross Suderwicher Straße and then drive onto Wartburgstraße. She has had a bike path on her left for some time. We drove towards the Wartburg Bridge, which spans the Rhine-Herne Canal. Shortly before the bridge, we crossed Wartburgstrasse and drove on the towpath of the old journey of the Rhine-Herne Canal. This dead arm is 450 meters long. It ends shortly before the Emscher crosses the RHK’s New Journey. The Emscher Island also begins there.

As Emscher island is a 34 km long landscape strip between the Rhine-Herne Canal and Emscher. In Castrop-Rauxel, the Emscher passes under the channel in the Emscher culvert, where the eastern end of the island is located (51 ° 35 ′ 41.4 ″ N, 7 ° 17 ′ 48.3 ″ E). In the west, the Emscher at the Neue Mitte in Oberhausen changes the course in a northwest direction (51 ° 29 ′ 34.3 ″ N, 6 ° 50 ′ 55 ″ E). The island is also in the cities of Herne, Recklinghausen, Gelsenkirchen, Herten, Essen and Bottrop.

The Emscherinsel is built up with residential and industrial buildings, sports and green areas, industrial wastelands and open spaces. Approximately 7000 people live on the "island", which is not perceived as such, especially since an average bridge every 400 meters on the Terrain leads.

Project Ruhr.2010

As part of the Ruhr Capital of Culture. 2010, the Emscher Island was developed into one of the leading projects. For this purpose, a continuous 70 km long island path was created, which includes the existing cycling and hiking trails Emscher-Weg and Emscher Park Radweg. In some places, viewing platforms were erected and sculptures were erected or integrated into local objects. For example, in the abandoned Berne sewage treatment plant in Ebel, a basin was drained and an underwater garden was set up in the other. [1]

The project was sponsored by the Emschergenossenschaft, the Regionalverband Ruhr, the Wasser- und Schifffahrtsamt Duisburg-Meiderich, the participating municipalities and many of the companies located there. The state development company of North Rhine-Westphalia also participated in the housing construction.

Source: Wikipedia

The three pictures were taken at the beginning of the Emscher island, where the Emscher flows under the RHK. Willi and Natz are already on the Emscher Cycle Path towards Pöppinghausen.

There at the beginning of the Emscher island in Castrop Rauxel, a new landmark is to be created by 2021!

Three designs for the “Jump over the Emscher” bridge construction project made it into the final round. Now it is clear which bridge should connect the people on the Emscher.

by Ann-Kathrin Gumpert

The city and Emschergenossenschaft have made it their goal to make the Emscher more tangible. This includes the joint, large-scale bridge project “Jump over the Emscher”. Now it is clear what the bridge should look like.

Above in the picture you can see the "Silver Arrow" that spans the Emscher and the Rhine-Herne Canal twice.

The bridge over the canal and the Emscher is said to swing in an elaborate arc.

In this graphic you can see the Emscher culvert under the canal. A pillar of the Silver Arrow will stand east of the Emscher culvert.

Above you can see a section from Google Earth, which I have fitted with peaks to explain what I have seen.

We are excited to see if we can drive the Silver Arrow from 2021.

We continued along the Emscher. After about 1 km we drove past the Tower and Walkway by Tadashi Kawamata-Emscherkunst 2010. The tower is to be renovated. After another 920 meters we reached Bladenhorster Straße. There we turned left and crossed the Emscher. It continued on Pöppinghauser Straße, and after 780 meters to the left onto Westring. After almost 800 meters we reached the Bladenhorster bridge which brought us over the RHK.

In the first picture you can see Friedel driving past the Kawamata wooden tower. Picture two shows Natz and Willi driving on the Emscher cycle path towards Pöppinghausen. In the third picture we have reached Bladenhorster Straße and in the next picture we cross the Emscher. The fifth picture shows an old kotten on the west ring. In the following picture you can see a part of the Bladenhorster bridge and a harbor crane in the Victorhafen. the last picture shows the RHK towards the Herne Ost lock.

Victor Harbor. Photo: RIK / R. Budde

The port of Victor is located near Bladenhorst Castle on the south bank of the Rhine-Herne Canal. It can be seen either from the striking west bridge road bridge or from the canal bank path on the opposite side.

The factory harbor was originally created by the mine of the same name and is now located on the Rütgers factory premises. It is still used for coal handling, which is now handled with two portal cranes. In order to offer the ships a turning option, the canal bed was expanded so that the base of the harbor is an almost right-angled triangle, the long side of which is directed towards the canal. The longer of the two cathets, which is formed by the quay wall, leads north from the lower reaches of the canal. It lies in the direction of travel and can therefore be comfortably approached by the ships.

Source: Metropole Ruhr / route industrial culture

After crossing the canal, we drove down to Bladenhorst Castle.

Located between Herne and Castrop-Rauxel, the Bladenhorst moated castle is one of the outstanding examples of the late Renaissance. Even today, the gatehouse and the fish-rich powers bear witness to its former importance as a castle.

[ruhr-gu /> is originally a castle complex from the 13th century and was first mentioned in 1266. At that time the moated castle was the ancestral seat of the Blanhurst knights. The castle passed to the Count von Düngel family in the early 14th century, but only for about a hundred years.

Source: Ruhr Guide

Behind Bladenhorst Castle there is a railway line and there the barrier was lowered so we had to wait. But it only took a short time, then a train came and then the barrier was opened again. We crossed the level crossing and then drove left from the west ring onto Holthauser Strasse. This led us through a forest to the equestrian center Bladenhorst, which is on the right side of the road. Then we crossed the Landwehrbach and then drove up to the bridge over the A 42, which we crossed.

The Landwehr Bach is a left tributary of the Emscher with a catchment area of 44.183 km². It has a flow length of approximately 13.1 km. The source is located in Spredey in the southeastern city area of Castrop-Rauxels, in the border area of the districts of Obercastrop, Merklinde and Bövinghausen. The estuary is in Herne-Horsthausen at Emscherkilometer 42.4.

Source: Wikipedia

In the first picture we are still driving on the west ring. Pictures two and three show us on Holthauser Straße in the Bladenhorst equestrian center. The fourth picture shows the A42 from the bridge.

We drove 450 meters from the bridge and then reached a dirt road to the left that took us towards the Augsburg Garden Center. After a 320 m drive we turned right. We drove 140 meters parallel to the Landwehrbach. Then the path made a slight right turn and we drove 560 meters to Herner Straße. We crossed it and then drove towards Gut Behringhausen. We drove past that to the right and in the direction of Herne-Holthausen. We reached Mont Cenis Street. There we drove briefly to the right and then right again onto a dirt road.

In the first picture you can see a signpost on Bruchstrasse. There is 24 km on the Supreme Kemnader See. We followed the sign. In the second picture you can see a power line and the blue sky. The third picture shows a horse meadow. Then the pictures show us on the way to Obercastrop.

Obercastrop was a peasantry, later rural community in the area of today’s Recklinghausen district. Obercastrop was first mentioned in 1220. The three municipalities of Castrop, Obercastrop and Behringhausen merged on April 1, 1902 to form the city of Castrop. April Merged in Castrop-Rauxel in 1926. The Obercastroper Bach originates in a Siepen spring; it flows into the Landwehrbach. [1]

Source: Wikipedia

If you want to drive from Karlstraße through the fields to Obercastrop, you should be a trained cyclist or have an e-bike. It starts at 76 meters above sea level. After about 1 km you reach Kreuzstraße in Obercastrop at 96 meters above sea level. Then you already have 20 vertical meters in your legs. If, like us, you want to continue driving up Kreuzstraße to the Beech Cross in the upper part of Kreuzstraße. He has to overcome another 26 vertical meters. All of this is exhausting with an e-bike. Willi tormented herself there without support. Natz, Friedel and I paused at the beech cross and waited for Willi. But he drove past us and continued towards Bochumer Strasse.

The pictures show us on the way up to Obercastrop. The third picture shows the Booken cross at 123 meters above sea level. The last picture shows the information board for the cross

The plague cross, known as the beech cross, dates from the time of the Thirty Years’ War when the plague raged. It used to belong to the influential community of St. Lambertus.

Johann Callenberg, Heinrich Rütershoff, Heinrich Schlingermann and all residents of the Obercastrop peasantry vowed after the plague in 1636 to avert future dangers, God, St. Virgin Mary and St. Rochus, to celebrate the Rochus Festival every year on August 16, like Easter. The following Sunday, the Booken vow is said to be made through sermon, prayer and donations to the poor. Descendants are required to fulfill the foundation literally. The foundation was dedicated to St. Rochus, who has been the patron saint of the sick and the sick since ancient times.
The inscription on the Booken cross reads:
"This place is the goal of an annual procession of the St. Elisabeth parish according to the Booken vows of the Obercastrop peasantry of August 16, 1637."

(LWL Office for Landscape and Building Culture, 2009)

Source:

We followed Willi, who was waiting for us on Bochumer Strasse. It continued on Bochumer Strasse. We drove another 460 meters, then we reached the Hotel Daun, which is located on Bochumer Straße, on the edge of the Langeloh nature reserve.

Langeloh

The Langeloh nature reserve in Herne is a gem within the Ruhr area. Located between Herne, Bochum and Castrop-Rauxel, the Bachtal and its renatured floodplain is particularly popular with walkers and joggers. A 5 km nature trail provides information about rare plants and animals in the Langeloh. A trip to this beautiful piece of nature is worthwhile in every season.

Source: Ruhr Guide

We drove past the hotel and after about 100 meters we reached a path on which we turned left. That should take us through the fields towards Gerthe. We were still looking south and saw the water tanks from Bochum-Gerthe in front of us in the fields. A landmark.

The first picture shows the Hotel Daun on Bochumer Straße. Picture two the two water tanks in Bochum-Gerthe.

After a km drive we reached Bövinghauser Hellweg. We crossed it and drove briefly to the left, before turning right again into Ostwaldstrasse. From there we drove to the right after 130 meters onto Fischerstrasse, which we then left again after 120 meters. After 280 meters we crossed the street An der Halde. To our left was the site of the former Lorraine colliery, shaft three. To the right of the path is the slag heap of the former Lorraine colliery. We drove past the 250 meters and then made a sharp right turn. We drove in a curve first to the west and then south and reached a bank after 790 meters. We took a break there. Our meat sausage break.

The pictures show our way towards Gerthe, through the big arch to the bank. From there we had a view of the Lorraine stockpile with its lighting installation in the penultimate picture. Where we took the break there are signs, one of which also points to the Jahrhunderthalle. It is 18 km away from there.

The Lorraine stockpile is a six-hectare dump of the former Lorraine colliery I / II in the Bochum district of Gerthe. It is located east of the former mine in a commercial area.

The heap has a steep, very heating, dry and therefore not overgrown demolition edge in the south. The Haldentop at 136 meters above sea level. NN (16 meters above ambient level) is heavily solidified with clearing material and also sparsely overgrown. The other slopes of the heap are only slightly inclined. Evening primrose, St. John’s wort and narrow-leaved ragwort grow there. The renatured Gerther Mühlenbach in the east of the stockpile is so damp that dragonflies can be observed.

A two hundred meter long promenade-like path leads to the heap, which leads to the artistic installation on the southern slope. Immediately before the slope at a height of 135 meters above sea level. NN. is the artwork About location by Kirsten Kaiser. It consists of pipes painted yellow. A horizontally running, approx. 50 centimeter thick pipe is erected at short intervals from similar but thicker vertical pipes, the construction is 220 meters long. The height of the twenty-three vertical pipes increases from west to east, the horizontal pipe remains at its height and is always towered over. On the slope side (i.e. visible from the south) there is a linear LED light installation on the horizontal tube. The artist deliberately chose the color yellow for the pipes and the LED lamps, it stands for road traffic and for "Attention!", It should lure onto the heap from which the surrounding landscape and buildings are clearly visible. The night installation is also yellow, but it works quite differently because it is perceived as a floating band with no rising or vertical elements.

In the area of the colliery area in today’s Lorraine business park, a dump-like landfill with polluted soils has been heaped up, which does not belong to the dump. After covering the foil, it was planted with greenery. On top are three scaffolds made of reinforcing steel, such as those used for foundation piers frequently to be used. Their arrangement symbolizes the three uniform chimneys that marked the mining facility in Gerthe.

Yellow painted pipe of the installation About location

Frank Vincentz – Own work

“About (n) Ort” on the Lothringen stockpile in Bochum, eastern section

Effect of the artwork from a greater distance

Brigitte Büsing – Own work

View from the western part of Lothringen 1 to the eastern part. There is the light installation "About (n) Ort" by Kirsten Kaiser – also yellow.

View from the bike path on the former railway line to the Lothringen 1/2 colliery in Bochum Gerthe at the landfill site with the striking structural steel scaffolding

The last picture shows the three great gentlemen. We couldn’t see them on Monday because we didn’t drive on the former Lorraine railway line. They symbolize the three chimneys of the Lorraine colliery.

We ended our meat sausage break and drove south. After a 230 meter drive we reached the municipal cemetery in Gerthe. We left that on the right and drove to the path Auf dem Norrenberge. That was 490 meters. There we made a right-hand drive and then drove up to the street at Südblick. There we turned left. We continued past the New Apostolic Church on the southeastern edge of Gerthe. We reached the Harpener Hellweg via the Ecksee, Midgardweg and Berghofer Heide streets. We crossed it and drove through the fields towards the A40. In this area, the site of the former Amalia colliery 1/2 is also a little further east.

Amalia colliery (Bochum-Werne)
Location: Between the A40 motorway and Harpener Hellweg
Commissioning: January 17, 1854 Amalia field mutation
Funding began after a number of problems (including “boozing”) in 1885
The maximum production was reached in 1913: 298,000 tons, 1123 employees
With a coking plant (1886), a benzene factory (1890), a washing oil extraction plant (1908) and a benzene cleaning plant (1918), extensive chemical plants were available.
Decommissioning: January 1, 1928 Raised in Heinrich Gustav, daytime facilities shut down
Operation of the chemical plants until 1967/1968, severe destruction in World War II

This is what the former mine location looks like today …

Source: Bochum.de

From Harpener Hellweg it was 1.2 km, then we had reached the bridge over the A40. We crossed the A40 and then drove through the northern part of Werne. We drove via Nörenbergstraße and then via Rütgerweg to Werner Straße. that was about 880 meters drive through Werne and then through a forest area. We crossed Werner Strasse over the old Zechenbahn bridge. To our left was the former site of the Robert Müser colliery of the former location of the Jakob shaft. Then we went west to the Harpen Pond and then followed the Werner Pond. We drove past them to the left to the Rüpingsweg. We drove to the right up to the A43, which we then crossed. On the other side of the A43 is the Kornharpen central landfill in Bochum Laer. There we drove left, left to Kornharpener Straße. We turned left onto it and moved away from the heap.

The Kornharpen central waste landfill is a landfill in Bochum-Kornharpen. 12.6 million tons of garbage were deposited in it. The operator is the USB environmental service Bochum.

The central landfill in Bochum was opened in 1978. Originally there was a valley with a loamy subsoil that was filled with rubble. Before that was the Caroline colliery. The Karolinenbach was cased and used as a sewer for the landfill. [2]

The landfill was closed in 2009. Today the landfill is in the follow-up phase and is not yet open to the public. 30,000 cubic meters of gas are generated every day in the dump. The landfill gas will be burned in the Kornharpen CHP plant until 2025. Further building rubble deposits and ashes from waste incineration serve to compensate for subsidence. The fence around the landfill will remain in place until at least 2060. The height of the landfill is expected to be around 150 m above sea level.

The new projects also include a 2.2 hectare photovoltaic system in the southwestern part of the heap. The 10,400 modules deliver a total of 800 kW_p, the construction costs amounted to 2.4 million euros. [4]

The federal motorway 40 runs north of the landfill and the federal motorway 43 to the east.

Source: Wikipedia

We then drove onto Havkenscheider Strasse to Werner Hellweg. There we drove to the left. After about 800 meters, we turned right onto Laerfeldstrasse in Laer. We then turned 300 meters further onto the Ümminger See road. We drove 730 meters to the Ümminger See. We crossed the A43 again. After that the lake was reached and we first drove to the Sutum Hof.

The pictures above show our way from where we had eaten our meat sausage to Lake Ümminger. We covered about 11 km and drove past a flock of sheep. Then it went through the rural surroundings of Gerthe. We crossed road bridges, passed the Herpener and Werner Teichen, crossed the A43, then we passed the Kornhapen central landfill. Then we went a bit through Bochum Laer and then we reached the Ümminger See.

A picture from the summer: the closed Suntums Hof on the Ümminger See; only the beer garden

BOCHUM-OST. The city continues to focus on gastronomy for the vacant property on Ümminger See. Although an expert opinion advises against this, there are interested parties.

The Suntums Hof, the manor house on Lake Ümminger, has been empty for years. And the costs of getting the pretty property back on track are increasing. Franz Kochanek, head of the property management department, currently assumes 800,000 euros. He still hopes to find a buyer soon. Around 20 prospective customers have registered on an advertisement on the Internet, Kochanek now reported to the East District Council.

Source: WAZ 2014

Willi knew the place from previous excursions. You could eat well there. We drove to the lake and sat on a bench at the northern end of the lake. We looked over the lake and also saw the island, which is known as the heron island and on which a heron colony does its breeding business.

The Ümminger See is an artificial lake in the Ruhr area city of Bochum. It lies north of Ümmingen in the Bochum districts of Laer, Werne and Langendreer.

description

The lake has an area of 10.43 hectares and serves as a local recreation area. The area around the lake is bordered on the west by the A 43, in the south by the B 226, in the east by an adjacent commercial area and in the north by the Essen-Überruhr – Bochum-Langendreer railway line.

The lake is fed by the Harpener Bach, which flows through the lake from north to south and drains it over the Oelbach into the Ruhr.

In the Middle Ages emerged as the forerunner of the lake at the mill of the courtyard Schulte-Suntum two mill ponds. With the construction of the Dorothea Erbstollens The full moon colliery began contaminating with pit water in the 18th century.

To clarify the pit water, settling ponds were created. One of these settling ponds was created southwest of the Schulte-Suntum courtyard. While the main part of the water flowed directly into the settling pond, there was a ditch on the eastern side as a bypass, which again met the stream below the pond drain.

With the closure of the Robert Müser colliery, the settling pond became redundant in 1968. In 1976 the site was expanded into an integral part of a local recreation area by excavation as well as bank and seabed fortification. His current functions include the sewage treatment of the Langendreer and Werne districts, which are fed through the Harpener Bach in the case of old overloaded sewers (especially in heavy rain). The smell of faeces that arises from this can be clearly perceived (especially in summer). A larger population of cormorants lives on the lake. Herons can also be observed frequently.

The bypass ditch was filled in during the renovation in 1977. To the southeast of the lake, however, part of it has been preserved as a biotope. After a flood, a pond of old water was created southwest of Lake Ümminger, where another biotope has formed today.

The event took place at the lake from 1995 to 2009 Ümminger Summertime instead of. The event focused on concerts in the evening with live music, the model boat regatta in the inner harbor and an open-air disco with the ‘Power Tower’.

In addition to a roller skating rink on which the "Bochum Lakers" skate hockey club was founded, the leisure activities on the lake also include a large beer garden and a large playground. There used to be a three-story tower with a giant slide that had to give way. There is also the boules club "Diaboulo Bochum ’86 e.V." right next to the playground.

Source: Wikipedia

The picture shows the heron island in Ümminger See

Credit: Image / RuhrpottPedia

The first picture above shows the Sutum Hof building and the former beer garden. The second picture shows the way to the pedestrian bridge over the lake. The third picture shows Friedel sitting on the bench by the lake and a pair of pedestrians and geese by the lake. The last picture shows the pedestrian bridge.

We ended our break at the lake and drove to the eastern side of the lake. There we turned right from the Ümminger See road and drove towards the southern tip of the lake, which we reached after a journey of about 830 meters. We continued to the right, crossed the Harpener Bach, which flows about 80 meters into the Ölbach. This in turn is clarified in the sewage treatment plant in the Ölbachtal before it flows into the Ruhr. About 40 meters after crossing the Harpener Bach, we turned left and drove another 80 meters to the Ölbach, which we crossed over a pedestrian bridge and then drove down to Wittener Straße. There it went off to the right. On a path next to the main street, we drove 690 meters west to Alten Wittener Straße. Before that, we passed under the A43 at the Bochum-Witten motorway junction, just like further down the Ölbach. Then we crossed the Wittener Strasse and immediately turned left again in the direction of the A44, which we then crossed west of the Bochum-Witten junction. From then on we drove parallel to the Ölbach. We reached Haus Heven after about 760 meters.

The first 7 pictures show our way along the Ümminger See to the southern tip. After that the pictures were taken on the way to Haus Heven. In the third last and fourth last picture you can see the university area on the ridge in Querenburg. The last picture shows the house Heven.

Source: Picture of Stitch Boy

Heven House is a former manor on the banks of the Oelbach in the Querenburg district of Bochum. It is located in Gerlach-von-Heven-Weg and is now used as a privately managed farm.

history

Belonging to the Abbey of Werden in the 11th century, the then large courtyard in the monastery barrack was first mentioned in a document as "suyta Hevinne" [1]. Later he was given as a fief to noble servants by the Abbots of Werden. The borrower at the beginning of the 14th century was Henrici de Lutzelowe, a member of the von Lüttelnau family, whose ancestral home was a manor in today’s Kettwig district, which the Essen Kattenturm is still reminiscent of. After the nearby village, the knights later called themselves "von der Hevene" and expanded the courtyard into a moated castle.

The estate came to the Lords of Vaerst (also called "von der Vorste") at the beginning of the 15th century, who also owned the Kallenberg manor near Kirchende. After the knights of Vishusen sat temporarily on the estate, it first came to the "von Holte" and from 1527 to the knights of Elverfeld, who held the fief until 1627. In 1629 a member of the von Vaerst family was once again mortgaged: Conrad von Vaerst zum Callenberg. His descendant, Freiherr Ludolf Bernhard von Vaerst, sold Haus Heven to Wilhelm Ludolf von Boenen on March 25, 1747 for 46,800 Reichstaler.

After it had been in the possession of the barons von der Recke for a short time, it came to the Counts of Westerholt-Gysenberg via members of the von Boenen family.

A list of the pertinences belonging to the estate from 1816 describes the residence’s residential house as a building that was "moderately listed" and "hardly reminiscent of the old knight’s seat." [2] The moat that surrounded the estate buildings was completely muddy at that time.

Source: Wikipedia

Behind the Heven house we drove to the right, crossed the university street and then drove to the street in front of the ponds. There we drove to the right and then drove past the Ölbachtal sewage treatment plant. After about 800 meters we reached the Ölbach estuary ponds. It then continued on the path on the Kaivers. We reached Hof Romberg, where there is a riding stable. After the Landhof Kemnader See we turned left, reached Universitätsstraße and then turned right onto Querenburger Straße. From there we reached the area of the Ruhr tent festival. We pushed our bikes there. The giant tents were still standing and it was dismantled there on Monday. The festival was from August 16 to September 1. place.

The Ruhr Tent Festival is coming up again! When the tents are set up on Lake Kemnader from August 16 to September 1, 2019, visitors can expect something: the top event brings with it a program that is bursting with talent. With appearances by CRO, Namika, Rea Garvey and many more, the upcoming tent festival is guaranteed to be a blast!

Market of opportunities

The large market of opportunities on the outdoor area of the festival on Lake Kemnader has been a tradition at ZfR since 2008. International artists and artisans offer a wide range of creative products throughout the festival period, so there is something for everyone! Jewelry, accessories, culinary delights from all over the world or even directly from the region can be found on this very special market. The market is not only very special for visitors but also for artists, here new trends are shown, ideas can be found and friendships can be made.

Image from festival 2019

Source: Ruhr Guide

The pictures above show the last few meters to Kemnader See and the tent festival Ruhr.

We just stood there in the way and got off the field. Past the Witten Heveney leisure pool, we drove to Lake Kemnader

The Kemnader See lies between Bochum, Hattingen and Witten. It is the youngest of six Ruhr reservoirs. The construction of the reservoir was part of the planning [1] of the Ruhr University. It was created by the Ruhrverband and completed in 1979. The content is about 3 million cubic meters of water with an average height of 2.4 meters. Hiking and cycling trails surround the lake. The circular route around the reservoir is about 8 kilometers long.

History and construction

Hard coal was mined in the Gibraltar colliery on the western shore of the lake from 1786 to 1925. A memorial plaque on a building of the colliery, now the boathouse of the Ruhr University in Bochum, reminds us that one of Bochum’s first concentration camp branches and a torture room of the Witten NSDAP was located here during the Nazi era.

As early as 1929, for water management reasons, it was planned to block the Ruhr between House Herbede and House Kemnade. Local recreation was quickly discussed. However, the advocates of the project failed at the time. After the Ruhr University Bochum was founded in 1962, plans for a local recreation area were in demand. In 1966 the development of congestion projects was requested by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia; however, the first groundbreaking took place in 1976.

First, the later lakeside was created by ramming sheet piling into the ground. Within three years, 3 million cubic meters of earth – the later amount of water – were mined and a weir built on the south bank. In the middle of 1980 the pool was full and the opening of the lake was celebrated on September 18, 1980 with a festival for water sports enthusiasts.

In October 2009 it was announced that the Ruhrverband was building a hydroelectric power station on Lake Kemnader. Construction began in spring 2010. The power plant, which works with a Kaplan turbine, generates up to 3.5 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually. During the 20-month work, the circular route over the weir was blocked. The work was completed in October 2011 and the power plant went into operation. It provides energy for the equivalent of 1200 households. [3]

water Management

The Oelbach also flows into the lake, which, coming from the south of Bochum, carries with it previously clarified wastewater from the Langendreer, Werne, Querenburg and Steinkuhl districts. The lake was created to regulate the amount of water in the Ruhr and to improve water quality – the suspended particles are said to sink in it.

In 2001, the water plague migrating down the river reached (Elodea canadensis and Elodea nuttallii) the lake. [4] It needs light to the bottom of the lake and is therefore an indicator of good water quality, but thrives here too well. To combat them, even a temporary winter drainage was considered, which would only be a short-term success, but otherwise would have too many ecological side effects. Many seabirds overwinter on the lake.

Many fish-eating birds such as cormorant, kingfisher and gray heron are no longer uncommon on the Ruhr in the area surrounding the lake. On the river bank you can also find the shells of freshwater mussels up to 10 cm in size.

On the southern bank next to the weir there is a boat lane that allows canoes and rowing boats to pass through the barrage. With the construction of the power plant, a fish ladder was built on the northern bank next to the weir. A bypass tube allows smaller fish to travel downstream through the turbine.

Freetime activities

The MS Schwalbe II is one of the passenger ships on the lake

A small part of the lake is also used for sailing boats, but the regatta channel regularly gets clogged with sediments. When surfing, be careful not to swallow the Ruhr water, there is a risk of diarrhea and other diseases. For this reason swimming in water is not recommended. The sports institute of the Ruhr University offers its students a variety of rowing boats. A pedal boat rental for visitors looking for local recreation rounds off the offer.

There are numerous leisure facilities and sights in the immediate vicinity of the lake. The leisure pool Heveney, a kite and beach sailing school, the StrandDeck Kemnade, a beach volleyball hall, a golf course and a sailing harbor are at the beginning of the lake. Close to the weir are the Kemnade moated castle (with museums), the club home of a fishing club and an unofficial meeting place for kite lovers. A 12 km long skater circuit, separated from the bike and hiking trails and illuminated in the evening, leads around the lake. Two clubs (SFV Witten and ASV Bochum Ruhr 1935 eV) use the lake for fishing, they also issue guest cards. The fish population ranges from eel to bream, carp, roach and pikeperch.

Passenger ships also operate on the lake and the Ruhr. In Witten, the passenger ship MS Schwalbe II moored at the following locations: Bommern Uferstrasse, Nachtigall colliery, Hardenstein castle ruins, Herbede lock, Herbede lake bridge and Heveney leisure pool. At the leisure pool Heveney there is the possibility to continue with the excursion boat Kemnade to the weir at the bottom of the lake.

On the circular route around the lake is the tunnel mouth hole of the Gibraltar Erbstolln behind the main building of the Gibraltar colliery, today’s boathouse on the western shore. The Stiepel village church, Blankenstein Castle, the Katzenstein nature reserve and the Herbede district of the city of Witten are within walking distance of the lake. Gastronomy, two boat rentals, playgrounds, the historic part of the Ruhr Valley Railway, a weekly children’s flea market and regular open-air events complete the leisure offer

Source: Wikipedia

We drove along the lake along the path intended for cyclists. So we drove about 800 meters along the lake with a partly good view of the lake and then reached the Ruhr. There we turned away from the lake and continued on the Ruhr Valley bike path.

The first two pictures show part of Lake Kemnader. The Heveney jetty and the sailing port. The following pictures were taken on the bike path towards the Ruhr. In the penultimate picture you can still see the big tents in the background. The last picture shows the Ruhr.

We continued on the Ruhr Valley bike path towards the Herbeder lock. After about 400 meters we crossed the A43. Then we moved away from the Ruhr and drove 500 meters past the golf course.

WELCOME TO RUHR-GOLF

Where the coal and steel industry once dominated the landscape, the beginning of our golf course began in 2003. In the city of Witten, near the Kemnader reservoir, you will find everything that makes golfers’ hearts beat faster! In addition to a 9-hole golf course, we also have a spacious driving range, as well as a training area with putting green and practice bunker. True to the motto "Everyone is welcome", we invite you, whether you are a beginner, amateur or professional! So, if you just want to "sniff", you are cordially invited.

Source: Ruhr-Golf Witten

Then it went closer to the Ruhr. We reached the Witten canoe club and the former private sunshine distillery in Witten-Heven. There is also the Lake Bridge and the old bridge keeper’s house.

The Ruhr valley with an old brine bridge, bridge keeper’s house and Friedrich Lohmann GmbH factory, on the left the former grain mill. Source: Witten City Archives

The inconspicuous building of the bridge keeper’s house at Lake Bridge dates from around 1844. The so-called bridge fee was collected here. Anyone who crossed the bridge had to pay this fee to the Herbede owners as local owners. The paying agent and a restaurant were located in the building. Bridge duty was raised until 1930.

The warden’s house and the Herbeder Ruhr Bridge, first mentioned in a document in 1347, were strategically located at a point where the east-west routes between Witten / Dortmund and Herbede / Hattingen had been bundled for centuries and crossed the Ruhr. The wooden bridge, which had been destroyed and rebuilt several times over the centuries, was demolished in 1942 after the large seven-arch reinforced concrete bridge, which had been built nearby in 1934, was commissioned. In 1947, on the instructions of the British military government, the old Ruhr Bridge was restored as a makeshift bridge for a few years.

In 1979 the city council of Witten decided to build a new foot and cycle path bridge "In der Lake". The large circular route around the Kemnader reservoir was closed with it. The new Lake Bridge, opened in 1984, ensured that the wide range of leisure activities along the Ruhr and the reservoir could become even more attractive.

Source: Metropole Ruhr

After another 550 meters we reached the Hardensteinwehr Witten-Herbede. Shortly afterwards we reached the Herbede lock. To the left of the lock is the old lock keeper’s house. There is a restaurant there. We stopped in to take our lunch break.

The pictures show us on the Ruhr Valley cycle path. Past the Hardenbergwehr and the Herbede lock.

Rest on the Ruhr

The royal lock keeper’s house opposite the Hardenstein castle ruins is the flagship of the Ruhr Valley gastronomy. The cozy rest area on the Ruhr Valley Cycle Path attracts over a thousand people on sunny days. It is a popular meeting point for hikers and cyclists. With coffee and cake, delicious salad, hearty grilled dishes, stews and soups and a cool drink, you will strengthen yourself for your next stage on the Ruhr.

Did you know?

The Royal Lock Keeper’s House was built by King Friedrich II of Prussia in 1835 on the Heven side of the Ruhr
A total of 14 locks with a lock keeper’s house were built on the Ruhr. The last surviving copy is in Witten
It was used as a residence for the lock keepers of the Herbeder Ruhr lock
The Rosendahl family lived in the half-timbered house from 1887 to 2005 for several generations
Between 2005 and 2014 the honeycomb took care of the house, renovated it and expanded it into a popular destination
In January 2015, the historic building burned down completely. Thanks to many donations, the honeycomb was able to rebuild it and partially renew it

By the way: at the historic half-timbered house at the Herbeder lock there is not only something to eat and drink, but also more and more often to hear and see new things: many of the popular concerts and events at the honeycomb take place at the rest area – for example “Rock an der Ruhr ”or the Folk Festival.

The Wabe organizes culture and events in the Ruhr Valley: ruhrtalEvents

The pictures above show activities and visitors at the lock keeper’s house

Source:

The employees in the lock keeper’s house are supported by the honeycomb.

A start thanks to public funding

With the help of publicly funded employment (ÖgB), the honeycomb gives long-term unemployed people long-term access to working life. The program is aimed at people who would have little or no chance of work without funding.

Did you know?

The honeycomb as a project sponsor offers 13 people an employment contract that is subject to social security in a variety of employment fields:
Service and gastronomy, gardening and landscaping, furniture
The employees are qualified under real working conditions
The aim of the two-year project is to provide everyone with a long-term, professional connection

By the way: The "Publicly funded employment" project represents added value for everyone – both for the project participants as well as for the regional infrastructure and the citizens who use it. You can experience and experience this especially on site. The project is supported by funds from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the European Social Fund.

Source: honeycomb

We sat in the beer garden and ordered something to eat and drink. Before that, I asked an employee at the order desk to plug my battery charger into a socket so that I could recharge my battery. I felt that otherwise I would not have come home. The tour was already a power hog. So I charged my battery during our break and was sure that it now reached home. Friedel and Natz have a 500 watt battery, which was enough for the tour. Willi had his muscles.

We ended our break and then drove 200 meters to the Ruhr valley ferry at Hardenstein Castle.

Interesting facts about the Ruhr valley ferry

How it all started

A bridge was initially planned to bridge the gap between the bike and hiking trail between the Hardenstein castle ruins and the Herbede lock. Because of the not inconsiderable headroom required for passenger and work ships, the dimensions of the bridge would no longer have fit in with the landscape conservation area. Based on an idea by the environmental department head of the Ennepe-Ruhr district, Klaus Tödtmann, the honeycomb took up the suggestion to use a ferry and developed it further.
As part of the EU project "Artery – River Landscapes of the Future", the honeycomb With ten participants in a qualification and employment project, the Ruhrtal ferry was expanded from September 2005 to April 2006 after the hull was developed and built by a Dutch shipyard.
This project was carried out in cooperation with the Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis and the JobAgency EN. Cooperation with the city of Witten, the municipal utilities and the State Environmental Agency ensure the use of the docks and the berth.

In addition to the construction work on the ferry, the honeycomb was looking for interested men and women who enjoy running the ferry while it is in operation. The team consists of 22 volunteer ferry men and women and eight participants from qualification projects. The ferrymen successfully passed the exam to obtain the Ruhr patent before the season. One ferryman and one deckhand are responsible for the safe translation of the passengers. In the meantime, a ferry club has been founded under the direction of Christoph Heemann, who meets for a small snack in the ferry house to discuss duty rosters and important events related to the ferry. At the end of the season, the ferries were invited by the honeycomb for an excursion to the Meyer shipyard in Papenburg.

Source: Ruhr valley ferry

There were already some people waiting for the ferry. We introduced ourselves. First, the MS Schwalbe drove past the pier of the Ruhr valley ferry into the lock. The ferry had to wait that long. Then she could drive in to the jetty. She moored and the passengers from the other side of the Ruhr were able to leave the ferry and we were then able to board the ferry. We parked our bikes and threw our trolleybus into the “money box” at the rear of the ferry. Then I looked at the ferry and found two signs. The dimensions of the ferry and the maximum number of people it was allowed to carry stood on one. The second sign described the following:

Above the two signs.

Then we were enchanted by the crossing. Everything looks even more beautiful from the river. The ruins of Hardenstein Castle looked a bit ghostly. Passengers were already waiting on the other side of the Ruhr. Unfortunately the trip passed far too quickly.

Above the first picture shows the MS Schwalbe II and the waiting cyclists at the pier of the Ruhr valley ferry. In the second picture you can see the ferry on the Ruhr waiting for the passenger ship to enter the lock. The next picture shows the MS Schwalbe II as it enters the lock channel. In the foreground you can see Natz and Willi talking to a gentleman. In the following picture you can see the Ruhr valley ferry landing and the ferry guests on it. Then the picture shows the ruins of Hardenstein Castle and a person standing in the Ruhr. Picture six shows the landing site on the other side of the Ruhr. The seventh picture shows two work ships at the landing site. Then from the ferry photographed the ruins of Hardenstein Castle. The last two pictures show the beautiful nature in the area of the Ruhr valley ferry from the water.

So we crossed the Ruhr and landed about 200 meters northeast of the Hardenstein castle ruins. There we left the Ruhr valley ferry and then went left on the Ruhr valley cycle path.

The picture shows Willi on the Ruhr Valley Cycle Path, along the Ruhr Valley Railway, in the direction of Witten.

The Hardenstein Castle is a ruin on the central Ruhr northwest of Herbede in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is surrounded by the nature reserve of the same name, Hardenstein, and is located near the Muttental. Until the completion of the Ruhr Valley Railway (now the Museum Railway) in the nineteenth century, the castle was located directly on the river. Typically, the complex, which has long been known as a castle, is a "permanent house" – a manor house. It mainly served as the residence of its stately owners and was therefore only of limited defense.

Ruins of Hardenstein Castle around 1840 Hardenstein Ruins today

history

In 1354, Henry II of Hardenberg had to sell the Hardenberg estate in today’s Velbert to Count Gerhard I von Jülich-Berg. In the same year Heinrich II von Hardenberg and his family settled on the southern bank of the Ruhr between Herbede and Witten. The moated castle was built between 1345 and 1354.

His descendants then called themselves from Hardenstein and probably suffered from some money worries. In 1378, Henry IV von Hardenstein instigated a feud against the city of Dortmund because he was in chalk with a Jewish businessman there with a large amount of money. The attack with around 1,000 men on the city of Dortmund failed. In another campaign that followed, he was captured and executed by the Cologne troops.

By marriage to the daughter of the last Hardenberger Heinrich V. the castle arrived in 1439 Robert Stael of Holstein. In 1430/40 the south side was expanded with two flanking towers and a shield wall.

The castle ruins seen from the northeast (inner courtyard). The Ruhr lies outside the right edge of the picture.

Artistic impression of the historical north-east view. [2] The roof, unlike the one shown here, was covered with sandstone slabs.

View from the other side of the river

Still inhabited in the 16th century, there were coal deposits near the former castle for many years. The complex only fell into disrepair in the 18th century after it was abandoned.

In 1974 the castle was leased by the city of Herbede, from 1975 by the city of Witten.

The legend of Goldemar

According to legend, a dwarf king named Goldemar or Volmar, who was invisible, also lived in the castle at the time of a Neveling von Hardenstein. People dined, drank and celebrated together. After the kitchen boy had sprinkled peas and flour to see at least the footprints of the dwarf king, the dwarf king killed, boiled and devoured him and disappeared, not without imposing a curse on the family. [3] [4]

Castle ruins today

The castle ruin has been owned by the association since 1974 Burgfreunde Hardenstein researched, preserved and cared for. Archives of the Hardenstein castle ruins and an archaeological find of them are in the primary school in Witten-Herbede and can be viewed there.

The Muttental mining hiking trail begins immediately behind the southern perimeter wall; the route of the museum railway runs on the north side Ruhrtalbahn, that separates the castle complex from the Ruhr. A breakpoint is also set up here.

The Ruhr Valley Ferry has been operating since April 2006 Hardenstein near the ruin. As the only ferry on the Ruhr, it is a special attraction in the cycle path network of the Ruhr Valley. This connection, which ends on the opposite bank near the Herbede lock, is operated by fifteen voluntary and one full-time inland boatman. The excursion ship MS Schwalbe II from Stadtwerke Witten also runs on the same pier. In this way, a link between the excursion ship and the museum train has been created.

Weather influences and security measures that were not carried out in good time ensure that the system continues to deteriorate. Among other things, an interim wall of the main castle collapsed on the night of March 16, 2010. The renovation / restoration of the wall areas at risk of collapse has been completed. The castle ruins are again accessible to visitors.

Since 2009 the Hardenstein Castle illuminated at night. In 2017 a V >[5] [6]

Source: Wikipedia

As seen in the last picture, there is a stop in front of the Hardenstein castle ruins. The Ruhr Valley Railway, which comes from Herbede, stops there. Visitors to the ruin can get out there. We then drove towards the Muttental, the alleged cradle of mining on the Ruhr.

Mining hiking trail in the Muttental

Ruhr area: popular circular hiking trail

South of Witten, the Muttenbach flows through a tranquil valley, which is ideal for hiking due to its idyll and silence. But the wild romanticism of the valley, the forests and the babbling brook – knowing that you are still in the densely built-up Ruhr area – is not the only special feature: the first coal was probably found in the Ruhr area in the Muttental. Numerous small and very small pits once unearthed coal in tunnels and first shafts. Today, many relics of the past can be visited on a walk on the mining hiking trail on the basis of reconstructed and preserved objects. The trail also opens up the Hardenstein ruins, the nightingale industrial museum and the Theresia mine and field railway museum. A detour to Steinhausen Castle is also an option.

Source: outdooractive

We then drove 1.2 km along the rails of the Ruhr Valley Railway to the former Nachtigall colliery. There we reached the nightingale bridge over the Ruhr.

The Nightingale colliery is a former coal mine in Bommern. The mine was also under the name The Nachtigal colliery in the Hetberge, The Nachtigall colliery in the Hedtberge, Union in the Hedtberge and Coal bench at Hettberger Holtz known. The mine is located in Bommern at the entrance to the Muttental and is part of the Muttental mining hiking trail. The mine was one of the largest civil engineering mines in the region. On the mine, lumpy fat coal was mined in civil engineering, which was of good quality. Today, the LWL industrial museum Zeche Nachtigall is located on the factory premises. [5]

Historic colliery buildings of the Nachtigall colliery, today the buildings belong to the LWL industrial museum at the Zeche Nachtigall colliery

The nightingale bridge

Information board on the route of industrial culture Nachtigall bridge

Today’s pedestrian bridge Nachtigall bridge from 1988

In the heyday of Ruhr shipping, there was only a bridge between Witten and the Rhine near Hattingen. With the beginning of the railroad era, more and more bridges were built, which, however, impaired shipping. As early as 1829, the nightingale owner Ludwig von Elverfeldt participated in the construction of the Muttentalbahn, whose horse-drawn wagons connected the mines with the Ruhr and the road to Elberfeld. In 1849 Witten was connected to the railway, but the Nachtigall colliery was on the wrong side of the Ruhr. A ferry did not solve the transport problem sufficiently. The application for the construction of a fixed bridge over the Ruhr led to discussions about which mode of transport should be given priority: shipping or rail. It was not until 1854 that the nightingale bridge was finally built. As a result, Ruhr shipping was no longer important for the Nachtigall colliery. [14]

Source: Wikipedia

The pictures above show our way to the former Nachtigall colliery and the Nachtigall bridge over the Ruhr to Witten.

We crossed the nightingale bridge and came on the way in the Sundern. After 250 meters we reached the B 226, which is called Ruhrdeich. We crossed it and then drove 80 meters to the roundabout on Herbeder Strasse. We drive through to the first exit to the right. Herbeder Straße ran approx. 330 meters to the northeast and reached the next roundabout. From there we took the first exit to the right onto Herbeder Strasse. It then led us 480 meters to the east. There we crossed under the railroad tracks that led out of Witten Hbf towards Bochum Langendreer. We were then on Bahnhofstrasse and after about 230 meters we reached Breddestrasse, which left off Bahnhofstrasse. The street ran up to the Nordstraße, on which we then turned left. We drove the Nordstrasse to Karl-Marx-Platz. The war memorial Germania stands on it. We passed the memorial on the left and then turned right onto Gartenstrasse. The Wittener DB Weichenwerk was on the left of Gartenstrasse. This is DB’s only switch plant in Germany and produces around 1200 switches each year. We then drove 420 meters to the main road and turned left onto it. To the right is the Lutherpark, which we left on the right. The Lutherpark is an inner-city green space in Witten with playgrounds and an old Protestant cemetery. There is a memorial in the park for the fallen in World War II. After another 480 meters we reached Ardeystraße. There we drove briefly to the right, crossed the street and then drove onto Ledderken. After about 160 meters we reached a driveway to the Rhenish donkey. We started it up and took a break there.

The pictures above show our way through Witten to the Rhenish donkey. Image one shows the rock face at the Herbeder Straße-Ruhrdeich roundabout. The second picture shows Willi, who is driving towards Bo-Langendreer shortly before crossing the Witten Hbf railway line. In the next picture you can also see Willi driving towards Karl-Marx-Platz, on which the war memorial of Germania stands. In the following picture he drives past it. The fifth and sixth picture shows the town hall and town hall tower of Witten. Then you can see the Marienkirche in Witten in the background and the Marienhospital in the foreground. The last picture shows Natz and Willi at the break on the Rhenish donkey.

Germania monument in Witten

Postcard with the former Königsplatz

The Germania war memorial in Witten was solemnly unveiled on September 20, 1877. The Guard Warrior Association, founded in 1854 and merging with the Witten Landwehr and Warrior Association in 1858, campaigned for the erection of this monument. On July 3, 1877, the cornerstone was laid on Königsplatz. The memorial was designed by Heinrich Klutmann, an architect born in Witten, who worked as a high-ranking Prussian construction official in Berlin. Its construction cost the city of Witten 18,801.97 marks, which was mainly provided through collections of voluntary donations. The entrepreneur Louis Berger alone, who also initiated the construction of the war memorial, donated 100 thalers.

Central location in 1877

The city magistrate chose a site on the edge of the city center as the location. Until 1869, the center of the city of Witten was the so-called Oberdorf with its market square (Kornmarkt) and the Johanniskirche. In the process of industrialization and the associated influx of workers from all over Germany, the town planners decided in 1866 to create a modern city center to create. This city center was to be closed off by the railway line of the Bergisch-Märkische Eisenbahn, and the railway line also represented one side of a square within which the new city center was to be built.

While the station was a corner point of the line along the railway line, a second corner point was created at the end of this imaginary line in the form of the new Königsplatz. High-quality living space was built around this square – according to contemporary standards. The new district should represent a new, modern Witten. In order to underline this concern, the newly built streets were named in accordance with contemporary customs after great statesmen such as Otto von Bismarck and Helmuth von Moltke.

The Königsplatz was lavishly planted, and in 1877 the war memorial with the crowning statue of a Germania was finally placed in its center. With this memorial, a victory memorial, the Witten people commemorated the German Unification Wars (German-Danish War of 1864, German War of 1866 and Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71). In addition to an elaborate Germania statue, the names of all Witten soldiers who lost their lives in these wars were embedded in the memorial. In addition, four stone allegorical eagles adorned the base of the monument until the end of World War II.

To underline its importance in the context of urban planning, a fence was built around the monument in 1884, which cost around 4,000 marks.

In addition to the representative multi-family dwellings, a number of outstanding villas were built in the square around Königsplatz.