About the Hoppenbruch and Hoheward spoil heaps

Start: Park your car at the Münsterstraße hiking car park near Ewaldsee. Alternatively, take the bus from Herne-Wanne-Eickel or Marl to the ‘Bergwerk Ewald 1/2’ stop in Herten and start your tour on Ewaldstraße. Here, I’ll describe the route starting from the Münsterstraße hiking car park.

(S/E) Cross the road, turn right just past it and first walk round Lake Ewald heading south.

(1) Turn right at the southern shore of the lake and take the next left into the Hertener Emscherbruch nature reserve. Follow the path along the old railway line and cross Ewaldstraße. Then turn right at the next opportunity.

(2) Take the next right-hand turn towards the foot of the Hoppenbruch slag heap and follow the path up to the top of the slag heap. To do this, turn left at the fourth junction, then right. You’ll come to a cross path, which you follow to the left. Your route takes you onto a wider path, which you follow up to the top of the slag heap.

(3) On a clear day, you’ll have a sweeping view of the Ruhr region from here. Then take the path back down to the foot of the slag heap.

(4) After a right-hand bend, leave the wide path to the left, follow the path briefly to the right and then turn left again straight away towards the Ewald colliery. Follow the path to Albert-Einstein-Allee and turn right there.

(5) At the foot of the Hoheward slag heap, turn left onto the path round the slag heap. If you wish, you can climb to the summit and visit the astronomical observatory and other astronomical facilities there. We have chosen the path around the slag heap in the lower section. Keep left at the first fork, reach the ‘Balkon-Promenade’ and follow it to the right, then turn left twice. Your path then leads onto a wider track, which you follow to the right.

(6) You’ll reach a T-junction and turn left.

(7) Shortly afterwards, you’ll cross the Balcony Promenade again and follow it to the left. At the next opportunity, leave the promenade, turn sharply right and follow the path to the car park. You’ll reach the Ewald Colliery site once more.

(8) At the car park in front of the winding tower, turn right and take the next left onto the path leading to the main buildings of the Ewald Colliery.

(9) Pass the RVR visitor centre and the main buildings of the former Ewald Colliery, then take the path along Ewaldstraße back into the woods, keeping to the right.

(10) At the fork in the woods, keep left and continue along the forest path.

(11) Once you’ve returned to Ewaldsee, take the path on the right round the northern shore of the lake and back to Münsterstraße.

(S/E) Once you have crossed Münsterstraße, you will have arrived back at the car park.

You can also find this tour on our blog.

(9) The Ewald Colliery site forms part of the Industrial Heritage Trail. On the trail’s website, you’ll find the following information: “The RVR Hoheward Visitor Centre is located in the former wages and lighting hall. The interactive exhibition ‘New Horizons – In the Footsteps of Time’ explores the themes of energy, the seasons and the planets, as well as providing facts about the Horizont Observatory and the sundial situated on the Hoheward slag heap. You can explore the listed colliery complex on the Ewald Promenade or during a guided tour." (Source: https://www.route-industriekultur.ruhr/ankerpunkte/zeche-ewald/)