Path Along the Former Köttelbecke

The former premises of the Emschergenossenschaft have opened the barriers on the former Köttelbecke, so that attractive hiking trails have been created here.

For those who are not sure what a Koettelbeck should be:"Köttelbecke [ˈkœttəlbeːkə] is a colloquial term in the Ruhr area for a small, formerly natural but now heavily canalized river that is used for wastewater disposal by industry, mining and municipalities.The Ruhr German name is made up of the terms Köttel, a colloquial name for feces (also used in the form of Hundeköttel, Hasenköttel) and Becke, a common and etymologically related name for Bach, which comes from Low German.When mining was active, there were no alternatives to this form of open sewage disposal, as underground canals and stream canals would have regularly subsided or been damaged as a result of mining damage.For ecological reasons, attempts have been made for several years to end this type of surface sewage disposal, since the canalized watercourses have to be fenced off for safety reasons, often cause strong odor nuisance and are hazardous to health on contact. Last but not least, renaturation is also sought for aesthetic reasons of improving the environment. Subsidence and other conditions complicate these efforts.The Emscher and many of its tributaries such as the Boye bear this name among the local population, as do tributaries of the Lippe in the east of the Ruhr area such as the Körnebach through the east of Dortmund and in Kamen, as well as the Seseke. The latter two rivers have been renatured for years with a program that previously cost DM 600 million, in which large sewage pipes are laid in parallel, the concrete-straightened channels removed and the streams artificially meandered again. Walking paths and cycle paths have often been laid out in the renewed environment. Another example of renaturation that has taken place is the Läppkes Mühlenbach.The Emscher itself was also changed as part of the project to rebuild the Emscher system. The former Köttelbecke disappeared from the landscape at the end of 2021."Source: de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Köttelbecke