The best city hikes and walks in the Rhein-Sieg-Kreis

Great view

In a spiritual reflection, Dr. Tobias Schwaderlapp (Diocesan Youth Chaplain in the Archdiocese of Cologne) invited us to "rediscover this: quiet resting in God." To the hiker pauses before this small sacred monument, I would like to briefly share a key passage from his reflection: "One thought has become particularly important to me: Prayer doesn't always mean having to say a lot of words. Prayer can also simply mean resting in God. I sit down, become still (sometimes that takes a while!) – and am simply present. Trusting that God is also present. That he sees me, is interested in me, understands me, surrounds me."

A very beautiful, old wayside cross. It's worth the detour from the TRO trail!

Beautiful view of the Michaelsberg

Not only children are often discovered here, but also many adults want to experience the "floating" and the power of gravity again (located directly next to the water playground and skate park).

The water playground leaves nothing to be desired for children. While older children can let off steam in the skate park directly across the street, there are plenty of opportunities to discover new things here, even when there's no water on cold days. Tip: Have dry clothes and a towel ready!

From this spot, you have a good view of the old caretaker's house of Haus Rott. Haus Rott was always a residential area and part of the village of Kriegsdorf, which was then incorporated into the municipality of Sieglar in 1969 along with Haus Rott. During the municipal reorganization in 1969, Haus Rott became part of Troisdorf and, since 1999, has been part of the newly formed Rotter See district. The actual old castle and its ruins, however, lie in the small wooded area at the rear within the inner moat, which is still clearly visible today. This was where the main castle stood as a manor house. The clearly visible embankment there is the remnant of the artificial castle mound, the motte. This is a medieval castle type, built primarily of timber construction, whose main feature is an artificially created earth mound with a tower-like building. The associated outer bailey, which was also surrounded by a moat, was located to the north of the motte. The Annonisbach stream fed the moats of Haus Rott until modern times. In a later phase, around 1300, the castle complex was significantly expanded, and the high medieval castle hill was transformed into a late medieval moated castle and manor house. A new stone residential tower was built outside the old moat and enclosed by a wide and a narrow moat. The old motte was not abandoned, but was incorporated into an extensive fortification system with its outer ramparts and ditches. On August 28/29, 1416, Haus Rott was attacked and destroyed by the Archbishop of Cologne and the city of Cologne during the Stiftsfehde (Diocesan Feud). The site of the former castle lay fallow for centuries afterward. In the 17th/18th centuries, the remains of the castle served as the basis for the construction of a new farm complex with barns and stables, as well as the main building and former administrator's building, which are still well preserved today. In a third phase, the inner ditch was re-excavated and filled on three sides to form a modern military entrenchment. The shape of the entrenchment and finds allow it to be dated to 1795/96 (War of the First Coalition), when the Franco-German battle line ran from Wahn via Spich, very close to Rott and past Kriegsdorf, to Troisdorf. In 2023, modern condominiums were built on the site of the former castle and farm complex.

In 1414, the Abtshof, located approximately 150 meters southeast of this wayside cross, was the first farm in the area of today's Kriegsdorf. The name indicated that the farm belonged to the Siegburg Abbey. From 1694 onwards, the married couple Mattheiß Kerpener and Irmgard Krift managed the Abtshof as tenants; in later years, Mattheiß Kerpener changed his surname to Kerp. In 1832, their descendants bought the Abtshof. The couple probably donated the wayside cross as early as 1714. For this reason, the wayside cross is called the Kerpekreuz, and the former Abtshof became the Kerper Hof (sometimes also called Kerpehof or Kerpenhof). In earlier years, when the Rheidt basket makers made their way to the Wahner Heide, they passed the Kerpekreuz. According to one story, they whet their knives on the stone of the cross to sharpen them. The sandstone stone was obviously well-suited for this purpose. The Kerpe Cross was also a blessing cross. Kriegsdorf processions would stop in front of the cross so the priest could offer the blessing. Beforehand, Kriegsdorf residents would decorate the cross.