Kirchen (Sieg): Druidenstein-Rundwanderweg - On Druid Paths

Description

Walk on panoramic paths from the Siegtal up to the 517 m high summit of the Windhahn and on to the natural monument "Druidenstein", as the ancient Celts (Druids) certainly did. We hike slightly uphill to the Kahlberg with the Ottoturm - what a view! At Offhausen you play the main role in the landscape cinema and further up on the Windhahn we enjoy the panorama of the Siegtal and the Westerwald as far as the eye can see. We pause - the mighty druid stone builds up in front of us, mystical! The Druidensteinwanderweg is supervised by the hiking friends "Siegperle" Kirchen (Sieg) e. V. (member of the German People's Sports Association). Hikers who would also like to receive an official rating for the German People's Sport Badge can purchase their starting cards directly in the Cafe "Schneider's Bäckerei", Bahnhofstrasse 15, Kirchen, next to the station building at a price of € 3.00 and will also receive their rating stamps there after completing the hiking route .

Approach

The approach by car is via the federal road B 62 between Siegen and Kirchen. Drive into Bahnhofstrasse.

Public transport

By train (RE9 - Rhein-Sieg-Express) or bus to the Kirchen (Sieg) train station.

Parking

Large free PR car park in Bahnhofstrasse behind Netto-Markt (Bahnhofstrasse 21) directly opposite the Kirchen train station.

Directions

The ideal starting point and later destination is Kirchen railway station, where you can treat yourself to breakfast or later a hearty lunch. Follow the red "Druidensteinwanderweg" hiking trail across the Siegauen meadows to the Freusburger Mühle mill. Our trail climbs gently over the so-called Queckhahn, offering wonderful views of the Siegtal valley and the town of Kirchen time and again. The next intermediate destination is the 405 m high Kahlberg. This first peak has a 19-metre-high Otto tower and a special geo view. The 102 steps up to the viewing platform are quickly forgotten by what you can enjoy in peace and quiet - a unique distant view, especially into the Siegtal valley with Freusburg and numerous significant geo-points. Panorama information panels attached to the tower help you to better determine the geography of the surroundings.

After an extensive rest, you continue your hiking tour first in the direction of Weißenstein and then to the heights of the Windhahn. Watch out - above Offhausen you are suddenly standing in the middle of a landscape cinema! You decide the plot and roles of the film yourself - wooden benches and loungers are available for visitors. A really cosy place to escape from everyday life. Fueled up again with enough energy? - Then the last few metres of ascent to the summit of the Windhahn, 517 m above sea level, won't do you any harm. On the last ascent to the summit sign, you will see what storms and especially the bark beetle have done to the region in recent years. Unfortunately, all that is left of the once dense spruce stand at this location are the tree stumps. Today, however, this provides a panoramic view of the Siegtal valley and the heights of the Westerwald that could not be further, and even puts the view from the Otto Tower in the shade a little. You let yourself be captivated by the landscape, which is still completely new to you, and at the same time realise that you have just climbed to the highest point of today's hike.

From now on it's downhill and you approach the eponym of this eventful hike, the mysterious and at the same time imposing basalt colossus named Druidenstein. It has already been awarded the title of "National Geotope" and you can already sense a kind of mystical place of power here far above the Kirchen districts of Herkersdorf and Offhausen. What exactly did the Druids actually do up here around 2,500 years ago? According to legend, the daughter of a Celtic chieftain named Herke was sacrificed here at the stone, whose wailing can still be heard today on full moon nights down in the valley in Herkersdorf? If the 1 to 25 million year old Druid stone could speak, it would certainly be able to tell you many exciting stories about what happened at its foot.

After you have circled the natural highlight once, explored it extensively and let it take effect on you from the numerous resting benches, your hiking route winds further downhill along a historically and even artistically designed Way of the Cross past 14 stations from the 1920s in the direction of Herkersdorf. After a subsequent short climb out of the Imhäuser valley, you take the path in the direction of Kirchen (Sieg).

At the beginning of the Pracht forest area, the hiking trail then leads you along a panoramic path with views of Betzdorf and Kirchen, before you pass the historic millionaire villas, when Kirchen (Sieg) was still known as the "village of millionaires", and return to your starting point, the Kirchen railway station with its adjacent gastronomic offerings.

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Safety instructions

If you are of the opinion that certain sections of the path are not accessible to you, then you should avoid them. Especially in adverse weather conditions, near-natural paths can lead to muddy and slippery passages. Particularly in autumn, it is also important to ensure that the leaves lying on the ground can cover bumps, roots, stones or holes in the path. You should expect this kind of obstacle to the path when you go on a hike. Although the path is consistently well marked, you should always have a suitable hiking map with you for safety reasons.

Equipment

Wear sturdy shoes and suitable clothing that is suitable for the weather and protects you from the cold and wet or from the heat and sun. Take plenty of fluids with you. There are not many places to stop for a break. Please put on suitable hiking shoes along the way, which will give you sufficient support even on slippery and steep or rocky and uneven paths.

Tips

Play the leading role in the nature film of the landscape cinema in Offhausen between Weißenstein and Windhahn and pull out your camera, cheese!

Literature

Topographic map 1: 25: 000, hiking in the northern Westerwald, sheet 3, State Office for Surveying and Geospatial Information (LVermGeo)

Destination

Kirchen train station, Bahnhofstraße 17, 57548 Kirchen (Sieg)

Starting Point

Kirchen train station, Bahnhofstraße 17, 57548 Kirchen (Sieg)