Köllnischer Wald - FFH, Nature reserve in Bottrop, Germany

Köllnischer Wald is a protected nature reserve in Bottrop comprising around 187 hectares of mixed forest with beech, oak, and other tree species. The woodland area stretches between Alt-Bottrop and Kirchhellen and is crossed by a network of trails totaling about 7.2 kilometers.

The woodland takes its name from medieval rule by the Archbishop of Cologne, who exercised hunting rights throughout the territory. This connection to ecclesiastical authority shaped the area for centuries.

The name recalls the medieval ownership of the Archbishopric of Cologne, who held hunting rights here; field names such as Bischofsondern still record that tenure. The forest lies within the Naturpark Hohe Mark, and the Spechtsbach and its companion streams, the Düsslingsbach, Vorthbach and Scheidgensbach, drain toward the Boye and the Emscher.

The reserve lies northwest of Bottrop's centre, bounded by the L 623 to the east, the A 31 to the northeast and the L 621 to the west; the A 2 cuts through its south and separates it from the Bottrop city park. Parts of the area along the Spechtsbach are also designated as an EU FFH site.

Because of former mining activities, roughly one-fifth of the forest lies below the water table and requires constant pumping. This hidden infrastructure quietly maintains the stability of the land beneath the trees.