Radtour am Tagebau Garzweiler - Lützerath, Energiewende, Kohleausstieg & Co.

In the organizer's words:

You've heard of Lützerath before, maybe you were there for the demonstrations but didn't hear anything more about it afterwards?

Are you from Cologne and know the Rhenish lignite mining area, but have never been there?

Then this bike tour along the Garzweiler open-cast mine is just the thing for you!

Meeting point: At 10:15 am at Cologne Central Station. We then take the RB 38 at 10:29 to Bedburg.

We start our tour along the idyllic Mühlenerft. Although this tour revolves around the second largest open-cast mine in the Rhenish lignite mining area, it is still often tranquil and close to nature. We visit what used to be the second smallest town in Germany, which today is a wonderful example of a late medieval town on the Lower Rhine - and almost fell victim to lignite mining. This was only prevented by civic and political protest and so today we can visit a historic town center in which half of the houses are listed buildings. We also take our lunch break in this beautiful place. There are plenty of places to eat here.
We then go in search of clues on the adjacent spoil heap: Which villages disappeared in the Garzweiler I open-cast mine and what still reminds us of them today? History buffs will get their money's worth here. After a longer section of cycling, we take a first look into the hole at the Jackerath viewpoint. We then cycle further north and look at the exit plans for the Rhenish mining area:

• When will we get out of coal?
• Why is there a loophole for a three-year later exit that almost nobody knows about?
• Has Lützerath been demolished "for nothing"?

This is where it gets exciting for all those interested in politics.

Of course, we will also be looking at the five villages that were "saved" according to the coalition agreement and the problems that the residents there are facing despite the rescue. For some, they are "lost places" - for others, they are their homes with a future.
After a last look into the hole, our tour ends at Hochneukirch station at around 18:00. Here we take the RE 27 back to Cologne Central Station.

You must bring your own bike for the tour. Camera and smartphone for impressive photos as well.

Important:

The tour is around 35 - 40 km long and involves a total of 200 meters of elevation gain. Apart from a short, steep climb at the beginning of the tour, the differences in altitude are always very even and relaxed. The paths are mostly free of traffic and very pleasant to ride. Occasionally, however, there are sections on larger, busy roads, which unfortunately cannot be avoided.

The bike tours take place in small groups with a maximum of 12 participants. There is no visit to the open-cast mine. We stay on public roads and do not enter the open-cast mine site! In bad weather, the routes will be shortened accordingly and the excursion program described above will have to be shortened accordingly. There is no guarantee that the entire excursion program will be carried out.

In the event of an official storm warning before the start of the excursion, the tour will be canceled and the registered participants will receive their money back.

The price does not include meals. The ticket for the train and a supplementary ticket for the bicycle must also be purchased independently.