Easy hikes and walks around Pferdsbroich

Say what you will... This place is always superbly maintained... Compliments to those who run it. 👌

(Only that this highlight doesn't show the North Canal at all, but the Jüchener Bach, @Irma and @Oliver... 🙄) The Jüchener Bach is a river near Jüchen. The Jüchener Bach, whose source is near Jüchen, was originally fed by three spring streams on the eastern slope of the Lösshöhe and ends at Unterbruch, a district of Willich-Schiefbahn, in the North Canal, west of Kaarst. According to an older map, which does not take into account recent relocations, the Jüchener Bach flows from the area of the Jüchen train station in a northeasterly direction to Bedburdyck, then turns north, flows north via Aldenhoven, St. Nikolas, Scherfhausen, Glehn and Kleinenbroich and flows into the North Canal east of the Schiefbahn train station and west of Linning. Tributaries • Kotthundsgraben (right), 0.8 km • Scheulenbendgraben (left), 1.4 km • Kelzenberger Bach (left), 8.0 km • Kommerbach (left), 7.8 km The Jüchener Bach was called Dieckbach in the 19th century and was at that time a right-bank tributary of the Trietbach, which flowed into the Niers on the right bank via a canalized estuary, the Klergraben,[10] near the district of Unterbroich or Unterbruch of Schiefbahn. The source and course of the stream have changed again and again due to open-cast lignite mining and the development of the cultural landscape. Today the stream is mainly fed by replacement water. Source and link to the full article: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%BCchener_Bach

The Willich-Schiefbahn radio tower (also called the Roman Tower) is located in the east of the Willich district of Schiefbahn near the A52. It is 123 meters high and was built in 1970 by the German Federal Post Office. The tower and the platform are built in a solid reinforced concrete construction. It is managed by Deutsche Funkturm, which is part of Deutsche Telekom AG. The tower is not open to the public and is built exclusively for use as a radio tower. The radio tower is currently (2023) used for mobile phone and radio antennas. The tower was previously also used for terrestrial television and radio. The regional radio station NE-WS 89.4 was broadcast from there until 1996. Source and link to the full article: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernmeldeturm_Willich-Schiefbahn

The Pferdsbroich (...) is a protected swamp forest area. (...) The Pferdsbroich lies between Kleinenbroich (in the south) and the neighboring towns of Kaarst-Vorst (in the east) and Willich-Schiefbahn (in the northwest). (...) In the east and south of the area there are two quarry lakes in the Kaarst Lake District. (...) The eastern Pferdsbroichsee, known as the Bressersee, was designed as a natural area after the gravel mining was completed and complements the neighboring nature reserve. In addition to the large quarry lake, a number of smaller, shallow ponds were created as spawning grounds for fish and habitats for amphibians. A similar process will be followed with the southern lake after the gravel extraction has been completed. The Pferdsbroich nature reserve is embedded in the Jüchener Bachaue landscape conservation areas in the east and the Trietbachaue / Raderbroicher Busch / Hoppbruch in the west. The Pferdsbroich is located at the outermost edge of the area of influence of the floodplain for the Garzweiler opencast mine, which is located about 15 km further south. However, this only results in a slight lowering of the water levels in the area. The embankment of the Rhine and the gravel mining had a more serious effect on the moisture. The Pferdsbroich is a floodplain forest area typical of the Lower Rhine region in a silted-up old river channel (...) of the (...) original Rhine. As the silting increased, (...) a fen of fen forest and swampy waters developed in the lowlands. On the edge of the floodplain and fen forest there are some agriculturally used wet meadows and wild fields (...). The Pferdsbroich forms the habitat for numerous moisture-loving animal and plant species (...): Depending on the moisture, the tree population ranges from sedge-alder swamp forest in the wettest locations to poplar, bird cherry-alder-ash forest and pedunculate oak-hornbeam forest to partially reforested mixed forest of ash, linden, maple and oak in the dry areas. The rare and endangered plant species include snakeroot, marsh marigold, stiff sedge, millet sedge, autumn crocus, water fern, winged St. John's wort, marsh trefoil, spiked milfoil, greater fleawort, yellow meadow rue and marsh fern. (...) Source and link to the full article: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pferdsbroich

Nice gimmick on a beautiful forest circuit in the Nordkanal area near the Kaarster See.

Beautiful path that can also be used as a parallel path to the cycle path along the North Canal. In summer it is shady and sheltered from the wind.

In my opinion, it is better to cycle than to hike, simply because of the condition of the path.

The source and course of the stream have changed repeatedly due to open-cast lignite mining and the development of the cultural landscape. Today, the stream is mainly fed by replacement water.