Energy Trail (Excursion #10)

The Agger river's hydropower has been used to generate electricity since the 1920s, a wind turbine already existed in Gummersbach-Lantenbach in 1890, and the Oberberg forest has served as an energy source for humans for millennia.

The 11,9-kilometer-long "Energy Trail" leads from the hiking parking lot at the Aggertal Dam through the forest up to the village of Lieberhausen. The village is supplied with heating and hot water via a district heating network powered by a central wood chip heating plant. Along the way, hikers not only learn fundamental facts about energy and that, strictly speaking, it cannot actually be "consumed," but also discover traces of former coppicing practices. At regular intervals, the forest was cut back to the stump to obtain firewood and raw materials for charcoal production. Afterward, the tree stumps sprouted again.

The site where charcoal was produced until just over a hundred years ago lies along the edge of the circular trail, as does a farmstead that generates its own electricity, heating, and hot water in a combined heat and power plant. From a viewpoint, two 140-meter-high modern wind turbines near Gummersbach-Piene can be seen before the trail leads back to the starting point through the Rengse valley, where the river flows into the Aggertal reservoir.

At the beginning or end of the hike, a detour to the foot of the dam is worthwhile to take in the sheer size of the massive structure (a path leads down to the Agger River at both ends of the dam).

Also visit the Bergisches Energiekompetenzzentrum :metabolon in Lindlar. There you will learn a lot about the resource-efficient handling of waste, environmental technology and renewable energies.

Gummersbach is a stage town on the "Bergischer Panoramasteig" hiking trail.

The trail has a total of 8 information panels and 3 interactive stations. We would like to thank Birgit Gauer, who maintains the trail as a volunteer trail steward.