Attractions and Places To See around StadtForest Muttental - Top 20

https://www.ruhrgebiet-industriekultur.de/muttental This mining hiking trail was designed between 1972 and 1977

The Muttental in Witten is a historically significant area for Ruhr mining. The first hard coal in the Ruhr area was probably found here. The Muttental mining hiking trail leads through this picturesque valley and offers numerous insights into the history of mining. Along the approximately 6-kilometer-long circular trail there are almost 30 stations with information boards, monuments and reconstructions. Highlights include the ruins of Hardenstein Castle, the Zeche Nachtigall Industrial Museum and the Zeche Theresia2 Mine and Field Railway Museum. The hiking trail is not only a historical experience, but also a natural experience. The surrounding forests, meadows and the Muttenbach make the trail a popular destination for hikers and nature lovers. Source: KI

The Muttenbach is a nearly 7½ kilometer long, southern and left-bank tributary of the Ruhr in the south of the city of Witten in North Rhine-Westphalia between the districts of Bommern and Herbede. It characterizes the Muttental, which is now accessible to tourists via the Muttental mining hiking trail. The part of the name Mutte (Lower Saxony for sow, a female domestic pig) refers to the former forest pasture use in this area (cf. acorn fattening). The Muttenbach rises at an altitude of about 200 m above sea level in the field "In der Mutte" south of the district of Durchholz, which belongs to the Witten district of Herbede. It flows in a north-northeast direction through the Muttental, curves to the left and finally flows into the Ruhr from the left east of Herbede at an altitude of about 80 m above sea level. The approximately 7.4 km long course of the Muttenbach ends approximately 119 meters below its source, so it has an average bed gradient of about 16 ‰. Between 1906 and 1910, the "Muttenbach Valley Melioration Cooperative" carried out measures to improve the meadows. For this purpose, small concrete weirs with flat slide valves and branch channels were built in order to flood the meadows in the spring. The first hard coal in the Ruhr area is said to have been found in the Muttental. Coal mining began around 1510 in open-cast mines, and the first documented mention of it can be found in 1552 in the court records of the nearby Hardenstein Castle. The historical role of the Muttental is today represented by the Muttental mining hiking trail, which was created in 1972, the Zeche Nachtigall industrial museum, which opened in 2003, the miners' prayer house built between 1830 and 1831, and various industrial history museum sites. Other sights near the valley are the ruins of Hardenstein Castle, Steinhausen Castle, and the Zeche Theresia mining and narrow-gauge railway museum. Source and link to the full article: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muttenbach_(Ruhr)

Informative and interesting route to the cradle of Ruhr mining in a fantastic landscape. Make sure you take your time!

Attractive circular hike along the Muttental mining path

The miners' prayer house invites you to take a break with drinks and a small snack.

My novel #Kohlenscheißer documents the small collieries in Muttental.

The Muttentalbahn was a railway that was a good six kilometers long and was used in the 19th century to transport coal from the mines in the Muttental in the south-east of the Ruhr area to the coal dumps and the loading stations. It is considered to be one of the oldest horse tramways on the European continent.