Gierather Forest Nature Reserve – Gierather Forest Nature Reserve loop from Gierather Wald

Hiking trails & Routes

Germany

North Rhine-Westphalia

Bergisches Land

Gierather Forest Nature Reserve – Gierather Forest Nature Reserve loop from Gierather Wald

Moderate

4.6

(11)

hikers

Gierather Forest Nature Reserve – Gierather Forest Nature Reserve loop from Gierather Wald

02:37

10.2km

40m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: August 17, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through protected areas

Please check local regulations for:

Gierather Wald

Waypoints

Start point

Bus stop

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164 m

Strunder Mill

Highlight • Monument

The history of the Strunder mill is marked by a number of functional changes. It was first mentioned in a document as early as 1380 as a fulling mill. There is a mention as a Pleißmühle in "Strundorf" in 1605. In a mention of 1613 it is referred to as a color wood mill and in 1773 as a Follmühle (fulling mill). Today's building fabric dates from 1800.

The water mill was in the night of 23-24. Destroyed by French soldiers in October 1811. In 1821 it was already rebuilt and in operation as a tanning and tobacco mill. The mill was shut down after 1900. According to an old photo from 1906, the undershot water wheel can still be seen, which is no longer there.
After a relatively long period of vacancy and a fire, the architect Franz Sommer acquired the property at an auction in 1966. He renovated the mill building in 1968-1969 and converted it into a residential building (Schulte 1973, p. 200). The Mühlengraben and Mühlenteich are no longer shown on the current edition of the topographical maps.

(Peter Burggraaff, University of Koblenz-Landau and Klaus-Dieter Kleefeld, LVR editorial team KuLaDig, 2016)

Internet
rheinische-industriekultur.de: Strunden Mill (retrieved 07.03.2018)

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2.31 km

Gierather Forest Nature Reserve

Highlight • Forest

The Gierather Forest is a forest area crossed by meandering streams and has large wetlands with peat moss. In accordance with the natural conditions, this forest area is mainly composed of beech and oak trees. In the wetter areas, remains of alder and swamp forest, as well as remains of sphagnum moss, can be found. With its natural nature, the Gierrath Forest offers a habitat for various animals, especially amphibians, reptiles, birds and insects.

In the middle of the 19th century, opencast iron mining was carried out in the Gierather Forest. These were the Emma mine, Franconia mine, Habsburg mine and the Hohenzollern mine. From the Habsburg mine you can still see the Pingen in the middle of the forest.

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2.92 km

Picnic Shelter by the Pond, Gierather Forest

Highlight • Rest Area

A nice opportunity to take a break at a small pond.

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2.98 km

Hasselbachteich in Gierather Wald

Highlight • Lake

The Gierather Forest is a particularly important nature reserve. In the middle is the Hasselbachteich with its grass frogs.

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5.60 km

Bench Near the Animal Shelter

Highlight • Rest Area

Meeting point for hikers, cyclists and dogs :)

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8.88 km

Gierather Forest Nature Reserve

Highlight • Forest

The Gierather Forest nature reserve attempts to permanently protect the typical deciduous forest areas, through which natural streams flow, and larger wet areas rich in peat and moss, as well as birch and alder groves. In the 19th century, iron ore was mined in the Gierather Forest. From the Habsburg mine, you can still see the pits in the middle of the forest.

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9.36 km

Gierath Mill

Highlight • Historical Site

The oldest document on a mill on the Strunde in Bergisch Gladbach is from 1345. It describes that the Cologne priest Jakob Keye sold the survivors of Hermann von Gierath, namely his widow Aleidis and their children, a pension of six marks. Around 1400 the use of the Gierather mill as a mill for the Tirtei or Tirteystoff. It was a mixed fabric of wool and linen, which was of lower quality than the usual wool, and was mainly used for men's clothing. In the Bach court record of 1584, the first indication appears that the Gierather mill was a double mill. This means that there was a mill on either side of the beach, which was driven by two undershot water wheels. In 1773 there was still a grinding mill. She was the last representative of a once flourishing trade. However, the mill had changed its function to an oil mill with a barley peel. The mill on the left side belonged to Hermann Opterbeck in 1823 and the one on the right was Wilhelm Eulenberg from Mülheim, who also owned the Diepeschrather mill on Mutzbach.

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