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Germany
North Rhine-Westphalia
Bergisches Land
Wuppertal

Barmer Wald

Attractions and Places To See around Barmer Wald - Top 20

Best attractions and places to see around Barmer Wald include a variety of natural and historical sites. This recreational forest in Wuppertal, Germany, is situated on the southern hills of the city, bordering the Barmer Anlagen park. It extends south into the protected Murmelbachtal valley, offering diverse landscapes and points of interest. The area combines natural beauty with cultural and historical significance.

Best attractions and places to see around Barmer Wald

  • The most popular attractions is Toelleturm Observation Tower, a viewpoint that offers expansive views over Wuppertal from a height of 330 meters. Built in 1887, it stands 26.25 meters tall and is publicly accessible on good weather days, holidays, and Sundays.
  • Another must-see spot is Murmelbach Stream, a river that flows through the protected Murmelbachtal valley. This natural monument features a stream accompanied by several ponds, contributing to the area's ecological value.
  • Visitors also love Vorwerkpark Rhododendron Gardens, a natural monument known for its rhododendron bushes and small lakes. It is particularly worth visiting in April and May when the rhododendrons are in bloom.
  • Barmer Wald is known for its natural features, historical sites, and viewpoints. Visitors can explore a variety of attractions, from protected valleys and observation towers to cultural monuments.
  • The attractions around Barmer Wald are appreciated by the komoot community. With more than 500 upvotes and over 300 photos shared by users, the area offers diverse experiences.

Last updated: June 23, 2026

Toelleturm Observation Tower

Highlight • Viewpoint

From the Toelleturm you have a wonderfully wide view over Wuppertal. At 26.25 meters, it towers high, at a height of 330 meters in the south of Wuppertal. Publicly accessible, it is located on the edge of the Barmer Forest, one of the largest private parks in Germany. The Toelleturm was already built at the end of the 19th century (1887) as a gift/foundation from the children of the Unterbarm textile manufacturer Ludwig-Ernst Toelle. Incidentally, the adjacent district was named after the Toelleturm.

OPENING HOURS
In good weather on Sundays and public holidays

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Vorwerkpark Rhododendron Gardens

Highlight • Natural Monument

The Vorwerkpark is a special highlight in April / May because of the many rhododendron bushes in many different colors, one can not stop wondering. But otherwise also a highlight with the small lakes. Popular place to go for a walk

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Murmelbach Stream

Highlight • River

Das ca. 16 ha große NSG Murmelbachtal ist ein durch einen etwa 2 km langen Abschnitt des Murmelbachtales geprägtes Kerbtal, das vergleichsweise stark vom Menschen überprägt ist. Zu den in vergleichbaren Mittelgebirgsbachtälern üblichen Nutzungen des Fließgewässers mit Aufstau zu Hammer- und Fischteichen, die alle im Hauptschluss des Murmelbaches liegen, und Grünlandnutzung von Talhängen und Bachauen kommen im Gebiet großflächige park- und gartenartige Prägung von Gehölzflächen, verbunden z. T. mit Ziergehölz-Pflanzungen (u.a. Rhododendron), jedoch auch wertvollen, markanten Einzelbäumen, u. a. Flatterulme und Esche. Die Hainbuche ist im Gebiet überdurchschnittlich häufig. Wertvolle standorttypische Waldgesellschaften wie naturnaher Buchenwald und Eichen-Birkenwald sind in kleineren Flächenanteilen vorhanden. In der Krautschicht sind Brombeeren häufig vertreten. Hervorzuhebende Biotope von besonderem Wert sind vor allem das über weite Strecken naturnahe Fließgewässer mit besonders im Unterlauf teilweise ausgeprägter Bachaue mit krautreichem Auwald und älteren bachbegleitenden Fahlweiden am Bachoberlauf. Ferner größere Magerweidenbereiche, die teilweise quellig durchsickert sind und wertvolle Pflanzenbestände aufweisen sowie vielerorts von naturnahen Weißdornhecken und -einzelgebüschen gesäumt sind. Weiterhin kleinflächige Röhricht- und Hochstaudenvegetation auf ehemaligen Teichflächen mit Arten wie Schlank-Segge und Mädesüß. Stellenweise treten im Gebiet Neophyten wie u.a. Japan-Staudenknöterich stärker in Erscheinung.

Die Teiche sind als wertvolle Laichplätze des Grasfrosches hervorzuheben. Ein Vorkommen der Geburtshelferkröte ist wahrscheinlich erloschen. Als Entwicklungsziele für das Gebiet sind vor allem der Erhalt und die Wiederherstellung der Mager- und Feuchtgrünlandflächen durch geeignete Nutzung und Pflege einschließlich der naturnahen Hecken, die turnusmäßig zu pflegen sind, die Entwicklung standortgerechter Waldbestände durch Entnahme standortfremder Gehölze sowie auch die Rückdrängung flächiger Neophytenbestände zu nennen. Besonders erhaltenswert sind auch die stehenden Gewässer des Gebietes.

Quelle: nsg.naturschutzinformationen.nrw.de/nsg/de/fachinfo/gebiete/gesamt/W-004

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Very nice introduction to a hike through the Murmelbachtal.

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In 1908 the city of Barmen celebrated its centenary, for which a century oak was set on the now named century square in the Barmer forest

A nice place to stay.

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Tips from the Community

ersttom
March 4, 2025, Murmelbachteich Heckinghausen

Murmelbachteich

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"The Murmelbach, also Marper Bach, is a stream in the Wuppertal district of Barmen. After 3.6 kilometers it flows into the Wupper at the Heckinghauser toll bridge. In the Middle Ages, the stream was the boundary between the parishes of Schwelm and Lüttringhausen. Politically, he separated the Bornefeld office from the Electorate of Cologne and, from 1324, the March judicial district of Schwelm. After the annexation of all of Barmen by the Bergisch counts as a result of the Bergisch-Märkisch conflict (1397 to after 1400), the stream lost its long-standing border function, since the areas on both sides were combined in the Bergisch Amt of Beyenburg from 1407. The Barmen line of the Bergische Landwehr crossed the Murmelbach west of the pilgrim home." FURTHER INFORMATION: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murmelbach_(Wupper)

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The Vorwerkpark was founded in 1907 by the Adolf Vorwerk family and has been open to the public since 2001. A 5.8 hectare area with a pond and large meadows with flowers and trees on steep slopes.

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A nice walk along the creek that murmurs.

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Das ca. 16 ha große NSG Murmelbachtal ist ein durch einen etwa 2 km langen Abschnitt des Murmelbachtales geprägtes Kerbtal, das vergleichsweise stark vom Menschen überprägt ist. Zu den in vergleichbaren Mittelgebirgsbachtälern üblichen Nutzungen des Fließgewässers mit Aufstau zu Hammer- und Fischteichen, die alle im Hauptschluss des Murmelbaches liegen, und Grünlandnutzung von Talhängen und Bachauen kommen im Gebiet großflächige park- und gartenartige Prägung von Gehölzflächen, verbunden z. T. mit Ziergehölz-Pflanzungen (u.a. Rhododendron), jedoch auch wertvollen, markanten Einzelbäumen, u. a. Flatterulme und Esche. Die Hainbuche ist im Gebiet überdurchschnittlich häufig. Wertvolle standorttypische Waldgesellschaften wie naturnaher Buchenwald und Eichen-Birkenwald sind in kleineren Flächenanteilen vorhanden. In der Krautschicht sind Brombeeren häufig vertreten. Hervorzuhebende Biotope von besonderem Wert sind vor allem das über weite Strecken naturnahe Fließgewässer mit besonders im Unterlauf teilweise ausgeprägter Bachaue mit krautreichem Auwald und älteren bachbegleitenden Fahlweiden am Bachoberlauf. Ferner größere Magerweidenbereiche, die teilweise quellig durchsickert sind und wertvolle Pflanzenbestände aufweisen sowie vielerorts von naturnahen Weißdornhecken und -einzelgebüschen gesäumt sind. Weiterhin kleinflächige Röhricht- und Hochstaudenvegetation auf ehemaligen Teichflächen mit Arten wie Schlank-Segge und Mädesüß. Stellenweise treten im Gebiet Neophyten wie u.a. Japan-Staudenknöterich stärker in Erscheinung. Die Teiche sind als wertvolle Laichplätze des Grasfrosches hervorzuheben. Ein Vorkommen der Geburtshelferkröte ist wahrscheinlich erloschen. Als Entwicklungsziele für das Gebiet sind vor allem der Erhalt und die Wiederherstellung der Mager- und Feuchtgrünlandflächen durch geeignete Nutzung und Pflege einschließlich der naturnahen Hecken, die turnusmäßig zu pflegen sind, die Entwicklung standortgerechter Waldbestände durch Entnahme standortfremder Gehölze sowie auch die Rückdrängung flächiger Neophytenbestände zu nennen. Besonders erhaltenswert sind auch die stehenden Gewässer des Gebietes. Quelle: http://nsg.naturschutzinformationen.nrw.de/nsg/de/fachinfo/gebiete/gesamt/W-004

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The tower offers a remarkable view in the distance when the weather is suitable. Between Nützenberg (Weyerbuschturm) and Königshöhe (Von-der-Heydt-Turm) you can look west to the Rhine. In the north, the viewer is the valley with the Wupper and the suspension railway at your feet, in addition, the northern elevations, in the east Langerfeld and parts of Westphalia and in the south Remscheid and Radevormwald. The Toelleturm is owned by the Barmer Beautification Association and is open on Sundays and public holidays when the weather is nice (source Wikipedia).

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The approximately 3.6 km long Murmelbach, also called Marper Bach, rises at 287 altitude in the old Marpe farm near Lichtscheid on the edge of the former training area Scharpenacken. Shortly after its source, it is dammed in a chain of ponds, some of which are part of the Vorwerk Park. It flows on the edge of the Barmer plants through the Murmelbachtal, gives the old pilgrim's home Murmelbachtal its name at the foot of the Scharpenacker mountain and disappears shortly afterwards in an approx. 800 m long doldrums in which it crosses the Wuppertal district of Heckinghausen. At the Heckinghauser Zollbrücke it flows into the Wupper, only stepping once more to the surface. From its source to the last reservoir, the stream is designated as a nature reserve with an area of 16 hectares. Protection took place for the preservation and development of communities and habitats of wild plants and wild animal species to maintain the ponds and the natural stream because of its importance for amphibians, water birds, butterflies and reptiles, because of its well-developed plant communities because of the well-developed biotope complex because of the valuable alluvial forest and the valuable Bachaue In the long term, it is planned to redesign the entire Murmelbach in a natural way, to dismantle the pipework and to drain the artificially created ponds. Because the continuity of the Murmelbach is of great importance for the structure of the water and the flora and fauna. Source: http://www.wuppertals-gruene-anlagen.de/naturerlebnisse/murmelbachtal/

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The tower offers a remarkable view in the distance when the weather is suitable. Between Nützenberg (Weyerbuschturm) and Königshöhe (Von-der-Heydt-Turm) you can look west to the Rhine. In the north, the viewer is the valley with the Wupper and the suspension railway at your feet, in addition, the northern elevations, in the east Langerfeld and parts of Westphalia and in the south Remscheid and Radevormwald can be seen. The Toelleturm is owned by the Barmer Beautification Association and is open on Sundays and public holidays when the weather is nice. Source: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toelleturm

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Frequently Asked Questions

What natural features can I explore in and around Barmer Wald?

The region offers a variety of natural beauty. You can explore the largely natural and protected Murmelbach Stream, which flows through the Murmelbachtal valley and is accompanied by several ponds, including Murmelbach Pond Heckinghausen. The Vorwerkpark Rhododendron Gardens are also a highlight, especially in April and May when the rhododendrons are in bloom.

Are there any historical landmarks or cultural sites to visit in Barmer Wald?

Yes, Barmer Wald has several historical points of interest. The Toelleturm Observation Tower, built in 1887, offers historical significance along with panoramic views. You can also find the Jahrhundertplatz (Centenary Square) Barmen, where a Centenary Oak was planted in 1908. Additionally, the forest contains numerous memorial stones and remnants of the Barmen Line of the Bergische Landwehr, an archaeological monument.

What are the best viewpoints in the Barmer Wald area?

The most prominent viewpoint is the Toelleturm Observation Tower, which stands 26.25 meters tall and offers expansive views over Wuppertal from a height of 330 meters. It's publicly accessible on good weather days, holidays, and Sundays. The Kaiser-Wilhelm-Höhe on the Deisemannskopf mountain also offers views, though its early 20th-century observation tower no longer stands.

What kind of outdoor activities can I do near Barmer Wald?

Barmer Wald and its surroundings are ideal for various outdoor activities. You can enjoy easy hikes through the dense network of paths, explore the Murmelbachtal, or venture onto more challenging routes. There are also options for gravel biking and mountain biking. For specific routes, you can check out guides like Easy hikes around Barmer Wald, Gravel biking around Barmer Wald, and MTB Trails around Barmer Wald.

Are there family-friendly attractions or walks in Barmer Wald?

Yes, the Barmer Wald area is suitable for families. The Murmelbach Stream and Murmelbach Pond Heckinghausen are considered family-friendly natural monuments, offering pleasant walks along the stream and ponds. The dense network of paths throughout the recreational forest provides many easy walking opportunities for all ages.

What is the best time of year to visit Barmer Wald?

The Barmer Wald is beautiful year-round, but certain times offer unique experiences. The Vorwerkpark Rhododendron Gardens are particularly worth visiting in April and May when the rhododendrons are in full bloom. For general exploration and enjoying the views from the Toelleturm Observation Tower, good weather days, especially Sundays and holidays, are recommended.

Is Barmer Wald accessible by public transport?

Barmer Wald is located within Wuppertal, making it generally accessible. While specific public transport routes to trailheads are not detailed here, Wuppertal has a comprehensive public transport network that can bring you close to the Barmer Anlagen and the forest's edges.

Are there easy hiking trails available in the Barmer Wald area?

Absolutely. Barmer Wald is known for its dense network of paths, many of which are suitable for easy hikes. For example, you can find easy loops like the 'Toelleturm – Toelleturm loop from Heckinghausen' or the 'Murmelbach Stream – Murmelbach Valley loop from Wuppertal'. More options are available in the Easy hikes around Barmer Wald guide.

What do visitors particularly enjoy about the attractions around Barmer Wald?

Visitors appreciate the blend of natural beauty and historical significance. The panoramic views from the Toelleturm Observation Tower are highly praised. The Vorwerkpark Rhododendron Gardens are a favorite, especially during bloom season, and the tranquil Murmelbach Stream valley offers a peaceful escape. The area is well-loved for walking and exploring, with over 500 upvotes and 300 photos shared by the komoot community.

Can I find cafes or restaurants near Barmer Wald?

While specific cafes and restaurants directly within the forest are not highlighted, Barmer Wald is situated in the Heckinghausen district of Wuppertal. As an urban recreational area, you can expect to find various dining options and cafes in the surrounding neighborhoods of Wuppertal, easily accessible from the forest.

What is the significance of the Barmer Anlagen in relation to Barmer Wald?

Barmer Wald forms the southern part of the larger Barmer Anlagen, a significant park complex in Wuppertal. The Barmer Anlagen are known for their historical design and features, such as the Dicke Ibach Treppe, which connects different sections. Together, they create a vast green oasis offering both natural landscapes and structured park environments.

Are there any unique or 'hidden' spots in Barmer Wald?

Beyond the main highlights, the Barmer Wald is crisscrossed by a dense network of paths, inviting exploration. The numerous memorial stones scattered at various crossroads throughout the forest offer small, often overlooked historical details. The largely natural Murmelbachtal, with its ponds and the Pilgerheim Murmelbachtal, provides a serene and somewhat secluded experience away from more frequented areas.

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