Runde von der Brucher Talsperre nach Marienheide

This circular hiking trail begins at the hiking car park at the Brucher Dam in the Bergisches Land and is signposted throughout with the A7 markings. Our first destination - of course - is the Brucher Dam, which we can reach in a few steps from the parking lot.

The Bruch dam is primarily used to regulate water. Therefore, it can also be used for tourism. You can swim, go boating, camp. There is always something going on here - but everything is still somewhat “chilled” and stress-free.

We walk around half the lake on the south bank and then turn left into Weg Eberg. This leads us below the Waldhotel Marienheide up to the Ellberg (402m) and on to the Kahlenberg (374m). There used to be an observation tower on the Ellberg, but it had to be demolished in 2009. Then it goes into the center of Marienheide.

Among other things, we come to the pilgrimage church of St. Mary's Visitation. The Gothic hall church dates from the 15th century. The richly decorated choir stalls are well worth seeing. The most important altar is the Altar of Mercy and Mary in the south transept. This is where the medieval portrait of Mary is kept, which triggered the pilgrimage activities in Marienheide. The pilgrimage is the reason why the place Marienheide came into being. First a church, then a monastery, then a place - and all because a hermit named Heinrich experienced the Mother of God here.

At the church we keep left on Landwehrstraße, then later left again on Klausner-Heinrich-Straße. So we come to the healing pond in a small park. Vis-a-vis is the Marienheide train station, with connections to Gummersbach, Meinerzhagen, Lüdenscheid and Hagen. So you don't have to come by car and you can start here at the train station.

Now we are walking slowly back into the forest and sticking to Däinghausen and on to Kotthausen. Here we cross the route of the Volmetalbahn and hike back to the Brucher dam via Schöneborn and Stülinghausen.