Mühlenweg Asbach (A4) - Discover old mills around Asbach

Description

The route takes you from the parish church in Asbach into the Jägertal valley to Dinspel. From there, the route continues to Oberplag past the small quarry lake to Hinterplag, where the local disused quarry awaits you. The first mill on your route, the Thelenberger Mühle, now follows. From here, you pass the "Haus der Natur" to the Köttinger Mühle, which is now home to a campsite. Continue along the Pfaffenbach stream to the Bennauer Mühle mill. From here, it's on to the youngest mill, the Rauenhahn Mill. The last mill on your route is the former Büscher mill, from where you pass the former lido and the Asbach railroad museum before returning to the parish church and your starting point.

Approach

The parish church and market square are located in the center of Asbach and are easily accessible by car. Take the A3 Bad Honnef/Linz junction in the direction of Asbach.

Public transport

At Martplatz in Asbach, not far from the parish church, there is a good connection to the local public transport network

www.vrminfo.de

Asbach Marktplatz stop

Parking

Sufficient number of free parking spaces on the market square in Asbach (Navi: Grabenstraße in 53567 Asbach)

Directions

The Mühlenweg owes its name to the various mills that operated along the Pfaffenbach stream over the centuries. The trail begins at the parish church of St. Laurentius in Asbach and leads past the remains of the historic fortifications (ramparts) of the "Freiheit" and "Veste" Asbach into the Jägertal valley, which follows the Dinspel stream to Dinspel. Dinspel was first mentioned in a document in 1418 as an electorate of Cologne farm under the name "Wedestel". The trail continues to Oberplag with its small quarry lake, which was not exploited very well. The Hinterplag quarry awaits us at Hinterplag; this quarry is open, so no basalt lake has formed. The quarry is now under protection and is managed by the ANUAL nature conservation association. Continuing on, we come to the first mill, the Thelenberger Mühle. It was built in the 18th century as an oil mill and was restored a few years ago. From the path, you have a view of the former mill, which is now privately owned. Further on, we pass the "House of Nature". The "Haus der Natur" used to be a pump house that belonged to the drinking water supply of Asbacher Land and is now used by ANUAL for exhibitions, project days and courses. Next, we pass the Köttinger mill. It was originally an oil mill and was first mentioned in a document in 1652. In 1817, it is listed in a statistic as a grinding mill. Grinding was carried out in the Köttinger mill until the early 1950s. The mill building, a half-timbered structure, was renovated at the end of the 1980s. Further up the Pfaffenbach is the Bennau mill. Bennauer Mühle was first mentioned in a document in 1554 and was operated as an oil mill in 1634. The mill ceased operation around 1900 and burned down in 1932. The next mill we see off the path is the former Rauenhahn mill. The Rauenhahn mill was the youngest mill in the Pfaffenbach valley and was built in 1913 as a grain mill and sawmill. The upper water wheel produced nine horsepower. The grain mill was shut down in 1957 and the sawmill was converted to electric motors. The last mill on the mill trail is the former Büscher mill. The Büscher mill was an oil, grinding and bone mill and was shut down in 1975. The age of the former mill is unknown, but grain and oats were milled here until 1938. Past the former lido, which has now been converted into a park with a pond, and the "Asbach Landscape and Railway Museum", the trail leads us to the starting point at the parish church of St. Laurentius in Asbach.

Safety instructions

• Wear sturdy shoes and appropriate clothing that is suitable for the weather and protects you from the cold and wet or the heat and sun.

• Take enough liquid with you. Refreshment stops are not available everywhere.

• Please wear appropriate hiking boots along the way, which will give you sufficient grip even on slippery and steep or rocky and uneven paths.

• If you are of the opinion that certain sections of the trail are not suitable for you, you should avoid them. Especially in adverse weather conditions, muddy and slippery sections can occur on near-natural paths.

• Particularly in the fall, you should also be aware that leaves lying on the ground can hide uneven surfaces, roots, stones or holes in the path. You have to reckon with these kinds of path impairments when you go on a hike.

• Although the trail is very well marked throughout, you should always have a suitable hiking map with you for safety reasons.

Equipment

Hiking boots and clothing suitable for the weather are an advantage

Tips

Find out about possible events at the nature conservation association "Anual", for example at the "Haus der Natur" or along the route

www.anual-ev.de

Destination

Asbach parish church

Starting Point

Asbach parish church