Oberwambach - AK cycling route 7 "Herzberg or Harzburg"

Description

We start at the cemetery in Oberwambach and reach Herpteroth and Gieleroth via the lightly traveled K 32 over a small hill, to then pass through a legendary forest area called "Herzberg". In prehistoric times, the Herzburg fortification lay on this spur above Widderstein. Archaeological monuments and field names indicate earlier settlements. This hilltop is surrounded by the Wied and is strategically located between the old "Cologne-Frankfurt Road" (now federal road 8) and the old Cologne-Leipzig Road (now federal road 414).

Widderstein and a knight named Albrecht von Wiederbach who lived there were first mentioned in documents in 1346.
At the entrance to Michelbach lies the Michelbach mill (from 1847), rebuilt several times and today a modern, quality-oriented milling operation.

After riding through the idyllic Wied meadow valley, we have earned a rest in Altenkirchen’s gastronomy and can return strengthened to the starting point.

Approach

From Altenkirchen, Oberwambach can be reached via the L 267 and the village of Almersbach. When coming from the east via the B 8, the starting point can already be reached in Gieleroth.

Public transport

Since the cycling route also passes Altenkirchen, access by train is wonderfully possible. The start of the route is only 0.7 km from the station at the Altenkirchen shooting house (Heimstr. 2, 57610 Altenkirchen).

Parking

The free parking lot is located on the western outskirts of 57614 Oberwambach.

Directions

We ride through Oberwambach, past a small forest to a beautiful height path, which at 330 m above sea level offers a beautiful panoramic view.

At the end of Herpteroth, the road runs for a short stretch along an old hollow way, indicating intensive use in past times. One of the intensive uses was probably stone transport. Because a few meters further on the right side, we can see a striking hilltop. This place was already used as a quarry in the 17th century. The trail on which we are located is also called "Zur Harzburg" in old maps. Whether and where a castle once stood here is not entirely clear. There is a "Herzberg" in the forest northwest ahead of us; whether this was simply a spelling error (-berg, -burg) on old maps remains open for now.

Before we cross the "Hohe Straße" (B 8) at the exit of Gieleroth, we take one last look back at one of the oldest half-timbered buildings in the village: the Reinhardshof, which was at times an important post-horse change station on the crucial trade route (B8). The middle section of the half-timbered building dates from around 1475 and still shows beautiful carved and painted ornaments on a window jamb.

Through forest and fields, we now descend partly surprisingly steeply into the Wied valley. We cross the river in Widderstein, also a very old village that was formerly the seat of a large estate. It is assumed that a castle also once stood here. Old underground passageways have been found near Widderstein in recent years, suggesting the importance of this place. Downstream in the Wied valley, we arrive at Michelbach, where the old half-timbered houses and the former school catch our eye at the village entrance.

Here stands one of the few old water mills that still operates economically today (of course in a modernized state) as a respected milling business. Built in 1847 as a grain and bone mill, it came into the possession of the Hassel family. Around 1900, with the establishment of zinc and lead ore mines, the mill was additionally used as a wood sawmill. Even today, the mill race is still used, but for generating electricity (approx. 220,000 kWh per year), which partly covers the mill's energy needs and partly feeds into the public grid.

If you are willing to push your bike sometimes, you can pass through the mill property and behind the small bridge on the right use the narrow hiking trail to continue directly in the Wied valley to the B 8.

From here, the route continues along the river to the climb to Johannisberg, past the war memorial and Bismarck tower. Both were built after 1900. The war memorial was erected in 1927 to commemorate the war victims.

The Bismarck tower was the work of admirers of Bismarck who wanted to build a monument and viewing point in 1914 from local stone. After its restoration in 2009/2010, the tower can now be climbed again (info on opening hours). Descending into the Almersbach valley, we reach Amteroth and then have to tackle the final climb to Oberwambach before reaching our starting point.

By the way, from Oberwambach you can also reach the 45 km long cycling route "Puderbacher Land" in a few minutes, which leads on a signposted trail around Puderbach.

Tips

Altenkirchen offers a good opportunity for an extensive cyclist break with its numerous gastronomy establishments.

Literature

Topographic map 1:25,000, sheet 1, Northern Westerwald, 5th edition 2015, cost: 3 euros
Available at Flammersfeld town hall or at the UNIKUM regional shop, Bahnhofstr. 26, 57610 Altenkirchen

Destination

Parking lot at the cemetery in 57614 Oberwambach

Starting Point

Parking lot at the cemetery in 57614 Oberwambach