Bei Himmelgeist

Historic dike landscape and one of the three oldest church buildings in Dusseldorf. In addition, the tree spirit waits ......

The sky spirits u. d. Urdenbacher-Kämpe are a great nature reserve.
Especially in spring and autumn ornitologically interesting.

Great to drive, calm, beautiful scenery

Open landscape with a good bike path and lots of sun!

Pure landscape, just a few kilometers away from the center of Düsseldorf.

Nature as far as the eye can see. A visit during the week is recommended, because then there is much less going on here.

heat nicely over the dirt roads

Rhineland and Henkel in the background

The park at Schloss Mickeln is wonderfully quiet when there are too many people on the Rhine. And at the entrance to the village there is an ice cream van with very delicious ice cream 😄

The tree spirit Jüchtwind

Very easy to drive 5 kilometers round trip from Schloss Mickeln starting, of course, great for hiking!

Himmelgeister Rheinbogen
The Himmelgeister Rheinbogen is a well-preserved example of the typical Lower Rhine cultural landscape. It is characterized by the alternation of meadows and fields, which are divided by poplar rows, hedges and field crops. The area designated as a nature reserve since 1996 is 214 hectares in size. In a survey of the plant population, which was carried out in 1997 by the Biological Station Haus Bürgel, there 336 different species were detected. 19 species are on the red list of endangered species.
Source: duesseldorf-tourismus.de

The Himmelgeister Rheinbogen is a well-preserved example of the typical Lower Rhine cultural landscape. It is characterized by the alternation of meadows and arable land, which are structured by rows of poplars, hedges and field trees. The area, designated as a nature reserve since 1996, is 214 hectares in size. When the plant population was recorded in 1997 by the Biological Station Haus Bürgel, 336 different species were found there. 19 species are on the red list of threatened species.
Source: duesseldorf-tourismus.de

Characteristic of the landscape are the old, gnarled polluted willows that stand on meadows and pastures and whose branches were previously used to weave baskets. The pollarded willows are elements of the cultural landscape. The typical head shape results from human use: white willows are "beheaded" at a height of about three meters. The willows will sprout again next year, young, flexible wickerwork grows and is cut again. Over time, the typical head shape develops. However, there are now hardly any basket weavers, so the trees are now looked after by the municipal landscape maintenance station Hexhof. Only regular pruning of the branches can prevent the ecologically valuable pastures from breaking apart.
Source: duesseldorf-tourismus.de

The old pollard willows are also important for nature conservation. With their numerous tree hollows, they offer ideal nesting opportunities for cave breeders such as Little Owl and Redstart. In the Himmelgeister Rheinbogen, there are still about five breeding pairs of animals endangered nationwide.
The name and location of the area already indicate another formative element. The creative power of the Rhine has greatly influenced the natural history of the area. Even today, at high tide, large parts of the Himmelgeister Rheinbogen are flooded. Numerous, sometimes several meters deep, erosion gullies, the so-called high-tide basins, mainly pass through the terrain in the western section and are clearly visible on the fields and pastures. They fill up at high tide first and remain filled even with decaying water for a long time. In heavy floods, as in 1993 and 1995, high-sediment sediments such as sand and clay are deposited on the agricultural land.
Meadow landscapes are among the most valuable habitats in nature because of their abundance of plants and animals. The colorful flower meadows on the Itter dam show treasures from the realm of flora, which are otherwise hard to find: bluebells, meadow sage, field widow's flower, crown vetch, meadow button and Herbstzeitlose.
Another special feature in the Himmelgeister Rheinbogen is the Schlosspark Mickeln, which is also part of the nature reserve, but is also listed as a creation by the garden architect Maximilian Weye.
On a paved circular route, the Himmelgeister Rheinbogen can be ideally discovered on a walk. If you follow the Kölner Weg from the car park, you will find the former Itter stream for about 200 meters. This can also be tracked in the Itter district along the street "Am Broichgraben". Here a labeled stone pillar commemorates his "fate", formerly to fill the moats of the Benrather castle park and now there to be led into the Rhine.
Source: duesseldorf-tourismus.de

Beautiful nature and no motor vehicles.

Great nature reserve developed by paved paths. Good to drive

Characteristic of the landscape are the old gnarled willows, which are on meadows and pastures and whose branches were formerly used for weaving baskets. The pollard willows are elements of the cultural landscape. The typical head shape is created by human use: white willows are "beheaded" at a height of about three meters. The pastures will be drifting again next year, young, pliable wicker will grow and be cut again. Over time, the typical head shape is formed. However, there are hardly any basket weavers in the meantime, so today the trees are cared for by the urban landscape nursing station Hexhof. Only by regular backstopping of the branches can a breakup of the ecologically valuable pastures be prevented.
Source: duesseldorf-tourismus.de

Thanks for the detailed, interesting description!

The old pollard willows are also important for nature conservation. With their numerous tree hollows, they offer ideal nesting opportunities for cave breeders such as Little Owl and Redstart. In the Himmelgeister Rheinbogen, there are still about five breeding pairs of animals endangered nationwide.
The name and location of the area already indicate another formative element. The creative power of the Rhine has greatly influenced the natural history of the area. Even today, at high tide, large parts of the Himmelgeister Rheinbogen are flooded. Numerous, sometimes several meters deep, erosion gullies, the so-called high-tide basins, mainly pass through the terrain in the western section and are clearly visible on the fields and pastures. They fill up at high tide first and remain filled even with decaying water for a long time. In heavy floods, as in 1993 and 1995, high-sediment sediments such as sand and clay are deposited on the agricultural land.
Meadow landscapes are among the most valuable habitats in nature because of their abundance of plants and animals. The colorful flower meadows on the Itter dam show treasures from the realm of flora, which are otherwise hard to find: bluebells, meadow sage, field widow's flower, crown vetch, meadow button and Herbstzeitlose.
Another special feature in the Himmelgeister Rheinbogen is the Schlosspark Mickeln, which is also part of the nature reserve, but is also listed as a creation by the garden architect Maximilian Weye.
On a paved circular route, the Himmelgeister Rheinbogen can be ideally discovered on a walk. If you follow the Kölner Weg from the car park, you will find the former Itter stream for about 200 meters. This can also be tracked in the Itter district along the street "Am Broichgraben". Here a labeled stone pillar commemorates his "fate", formerly to fill the moats of the Benrather castle park and now there to be led into the Rhine.
Source: duesseldorf-tourismus.de

Himmelgeister Rheinbogen on both sides of the dike south of Himmelgeist with variants to Itter and to the Rhine.
First it goes to Mickeln Castle and, if desired, the variant to Itter with its church.
Further on you walk away from the Rhine along the dike and can, if you like, take the variant along the Rhine.
Facing the Rhine, it then goes on the other side of the dike through the meadow landscape along old river beds to Himmelgeist with its church and the Fronhof and back to the parking lot.
Fans of Romanesque churches should visit the two churches in Itter and Himmelgeist. One should research when the churches can also be visited from the inside.
Source: Jürgen Kaluzny

The area, designated as a nature reserve since 1996, is 214 hectares in size.

Really a highlight in this region! :)