Wurm Valley (Bardenberg old mill)

The Wurm Valley stretches from Kohlscheid to Merkstein, with Herzogenrath at its heart. Because of its great length (over 25 kilometres), the Wurm Valley is full of intensive hikes and long walks through a landscape carved out by the meandering river. The largely untouched rivercourse exhibits impressive dynamics as it makes its way to the sea. The force of the flowing water changes the water landscape constantly, as new watercourses, gravel shoals, erosion banks, dry river beds and floodplain forests continue to emerge. Because of the nutrients found in the stony and sandy banks of the bends in the Wurm, the rivercourse is extremely attractive to a wide variety of birds, some of them rare. In the rocky crags of the banks of the Wurm the rare kingfisher, which breeds in the Wurm Valley, finds its ideal nesting places. And in recent years, the beaver has also come back to the Wurm. The Wurm Valley also attracts hikers, runners, Nordic walkers, equestrians and cyclists, who take advantage of the beautiful routes along the river.