Schlüsen Nature Trail at Junkernhöh

A particularly impressive example of sunken paths is the Schlüsenbündel Junkernhöh/Germinghausen, a registered archaeological monument. These are exceptionally well-preserved sunken paths whose age cannot be precisely determined. The group of sunken paths is a remnant of the old Iron Road, a route connecting Frankfurt via Drolshagen to Hagen. Several sunken paths begin in the east below the A45 highway, then run parallel to it and end to the west at a farm road.

The Schlüsen group of sunken roads and buildings are also part of a very old transportation route dating back to the founding of the Cistercian monastery in Drolshagen (1235), which ran regionally through Hespecke, Scheda, Junkernhöh, and Rosenthal toward Olpe. The Cistercian monastery in Drolshagen owned its own forges from an early stage and at times engaged in the steel trade. One of these forges and the monastery’s land holdings served as the basis for the founding of the Wendener Hütte by Johannes Ermert in 1728.

VIA EST VITA: “The road is life,” as the ancient Romans used to say, and this remains true to this day. You’ll learn how life unfolded along and around the old paths, and what happened when the flow of traffic shifted to new roads. A walk through the Schlüsen will give you a sense of times past and the hardships of everyday life for the people who lived there. This is how Drolshagen’s history comes to life. The loop trail is approximately 1 km long

For detailed information about the Schlüsen, visit: http://www.drolshagen-marketing.de/de/projekte/der-schluesenlehrpfad

The Schlüsen Nature Trail in Drolshagen is also an attraction of WasserEisenLand – Industrial Culture of Südwestfalen

Information and booking of guided tours:

Text: Drolshagen Marketing e. V.