Bergischer Panoramasteig

The Bergischer Panoramasteig is a hiking trail stretching about 244 kilometers through Bergisches Land in North Rhine-Westphalia. The route winds through forests, meadows, and valleys while passing near several lakes and reservoirs.

The trail passes near Denklingen Castle and Altenberg Cathedral, two structures from different periods of German architectural history. These monuments reflect various building styles and construction methods across several centuries.

The open-air museum in Lindlar displays local crafts and rural traditions through restored buildings and old tools that show how people once lived here. You can see demonstrations that reveal the daily practices of earlier times.

The trail is divided into sections that you can tackle at your own pace, with parking areas and accommodation spread throughout. You can reach various starting points by train from Cologne, making it easy to begin or end your walk.

Some sections pass by working quarries where stone is extracted for major construction projects, including Frankfurt Airport. Seeing these active sites reveals how the local economy connects to projects far beyond the region.