Sophienhöhe
In the middle of the flat Jülich countryside, an artificial mountain rises to almost 300 meters above sea level. The Sophienhöhe, called the “Jülich Alps” by the locals or, a little more affectionately, the “Sofie”. According to RWE Power historiography, Sophienhöhe was born 25 years ago and was completed in 1990. former spoil tip of the Hambach open-cast mine as a recreational area.
The forest stretched almost as far as Cologne for hundreds of years. Then it had to make way for lignite mining. The excavators came and the excavators went and a unique recultivation area was created. Since 1988, around 1.1 billion cubic meters of sand, gravel and clay from the open-cast mine have been placed there. RWE Power is already backfilling the excavated area of the opencast mine and extending the Sophienhöhe to the south.
Over the past 35 years, not only has a large area of mixed deciduous and coniferous forest grown there, but “the mountain” has also become a habitat for a wide variety of wildlife, from insects and birds to large and small game. In addition, a network of paths has been created that stretches over 100 kilometers. It is used by walkers, hikers, mountain bikers, horse riders and the faithful who celebrate church services on the mountain or follow the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday. A local recreation area that is well received. Refreshments are available at the Café Sophienhöhe.
The development of a tourism concept for Sophienhöhe is a flagship project for the region. indeland GmbH supports the plans of the municipality of Niederzier to build a visitor and information center (BIZ) on the former spoil tip of the Hambach opencast mine.
Ideas such as the visitor and information center, the treetop trail or the autonomous bus are being further developed in specific projects by Neuland Hambach GmbH.
Excursion tips, hiking trails and cycle routes can be found at www.indeland-erleben.de.
