Water sports in the pilgrimage town

Following in the footsteps of a hermit named Heinrich and the medieval Emperor Otto III, this circular route leads from the pilgrimage site of Marienheide to two dams, each over a hundred years old, which no longer serve solely to regulate the water level of the Wupper River, but are also popular destinations for water sports enthusiasts. Marienheide was a transport hub from early times.
Long-distance trade routes crossed here as early as the Middle Ages. From 1897 to 1950, a narrow-gauge railway ran from where the bus station is located today, through the Leppe Valley to Engelskirchen. And from 1902 to 1986, the Wippertal Railway branched off from the main line just beyond Marienheide station, running via Wipperfürth to Bergisch Born. Its route has recently been improved for cyclists, pedestrians, and skaters.
From the train station, follow the road to the right and then turn left onto "Zur Alten Post," which continues as "Kleinbahnweg," the former route of the narrow-gauge railway. At the main road, turn right and follow the green and blue cycle path markers of the Water Quintet. Before turning left at the second traffic light, you will see the old Marienheide Monastery straight ahead, next to the pilgrimage church of St. Mariä Heimsuchung. It was founded around 1420 by Dominican friars. A hermit named Heinrich is said to have acquired an image of the Virgin Mary in Cologne following a vision. This image quickly proved miraculous and attracted numerous pilgrims. Marienheide was conveniently located at the intersection of the Bergische Eisenstraße (Bergish Iron Road) from Siegen to Lennep and the Heidenstraße, an old military and trade route from Cologne to Leipzig. Emperor Otto III is said to have traveled the latter. They travelled from Gnesen in Poland towards Aachen in the year 1000.
Follow the main road (B 256) downhill, cross Pestalozzistraße at the roundabout, and continue downhill on the converted railway line. After just a few meters, rock faces on either side hint at the effort required to blast the railway line into the landscape at the end of the 19th century. At the next intersection with a road, leave the railway line, turn right and walk down to the main road. Follow this road for a few meters to the right, then turn left at the right-hand bend onto Seehausstraße. At the T-junction in the Schmitzwipper settlement, turn left, then left again at the first fork (towards the sewage treatment plant), and right at the next fork (towards Waldfrieden). Follow the Water Quintet hiking trail uphill and then diagonally right across the dam of the Lingese Reservoir, which, along with the Ronsdorf Reservoir, is one of the oldest reservoirs managed by the Wupperverband (Wupper Water Association). It has been in operation since 1899, serving both flood protection and raising the Wupper River's water level during periods of low rainfall. The dam was built as a gravity dam according to the plans of the Aachen engineer Otto Intze and is curved towards the water.

On the other side, follow the lakeside path to the left along the 2,6 million cubic meter reservoir, where several bathing areas have been established since 2011. An asphalt path leads past the campsite to the right, uphill to the road. Walk uphill along the road for about 50 meters, then turn left across a parking lot to a gravel path that leads uphill to the forest. In the forest, hike uphill on the wide path, turn right at the fork, and after about 50 meters, turn left onto a forest trail leading up to the edge of the woods. There, follow the asphalt path to the left, then downhill along the residential street to a crossroads where you turn left onto Griemeringhauser Straße. Cross Klosterstraße and continue straight ahead onto the street "Zur Eulenbecke". Soon you will cross the Wipper River, which is still young at this point, and pass under the railway line to reach a T-junction at the base of the Brucher Dam, built in 1912/13. To the left, the path leads up to the dam and across its crest to the other side of the valley, where you now follow the "Bergischer Fuhrmannsweg" (white "9" on a red background) to the left. After about 250 meters, turn right uphill, cross the road, and continue uphill on an asphalt path. At a junction, go straight ahead, soon ignoring a turnoff to the main road on your left. Continue straight ahead (!) uphill past a tennis court. At the top, you'll pass a memorial on your left and continue straight downhill. At the junction with a wide forest path, follow it downhill. Cross the railway line, turn left onto the road, and then continue on the farm track alongside the railway, curving right to a hilltop. At the end of the wide path, a trail leads to the embankment by the railway line. Here, a path leads down to the right into the settlement, where you keep left to ascend a footpath. Where the railway crossing is on the left, follow the road to the right and after about 50 meters turn left onto a paved footpath. After about 30 meters, at the roundabout with trees, follow the path to the left. Before the monastery wall, turn right, follow the wall to the road, and then turn left onto the main road. Turn left there and take the second right to the train station.