The best hikes from bus stations around Rotter Lake

Here the "Rotter See" stretches out, named after the "Haus Rott" castle complex located 600 m to the north. Up until the late 1950s, you would have had an unobstructed view from here over exclusively agricultural land to the then much smaller settlements of Oberlar, Sieglar, and Eschmar. You could certainly also have easily observed the railway line Deutz – Troisdorf – Betzdorf – Gießen, which runs two kilometers away, with its steam locomotives. Gravel and sand extraction, similar to clay pits previously, had been carried out in this area for a long time. On old maps from 1823, one can already find such small pits scattered throughout the area. Mostly, however, they were probably created for personal use and less for commercial purposes. Kriegsdorf was already known for its clay pits and their processing, hence the nickname for its inhabitants: "die Lehmträtscher" (the clay treaders). In Kriegsdorf, industrial and large-scale extraction of gravel and sand only began at the end of the 1950s. On March 21, 1958, the landlords Heinrich and Katharina Manner from Kriegsdorf and the tenants Peter Fuchs from Kriegsdorf and the Belgian Charles de Meester applied for the opening of a sand and gravel pit in Kriegsdorf. However, it was not until June 24, 1960, that the responsible municipality of Sieglar granted permission to operate a gravel extraction facility. Kriegsdorf still belonged to the municipality of Sieglar at that time; it was only on August 1, 1969, that both districts were incorporated into the city of Troisdorf. While the dimensions of the new gravel pit lake were still quite manageable at the beginning, the final dimensions of the present-day "Rotter See" were established at the latest in 1962 with the second gravel extraction by the haulage contractor Karl Thiebes in the immediate vicinity of the first mining area to the north and further expansions to the west. Later, these initially separate areas grew together: In the mid-1970s, the deposits were exhausted, and gravel extraction was discontinued in 1978. The city of Troisdorf had already secured the ownership rights long before, with the intention of creating a local recreation area here. In parallel, plans for a new residential area, the present-day district "Rotter See", were also developed, which was newly formed on October 1, 1999, by separating it from Kriegsdorf and Sieglar. It can be seen from here on the opposite eastern shore.

Wonderful, especially in summer, because: there is shade! But even apart from that, a break is definitely worthwhile. You often meet some young-at-heart people here, so always be ready to brake!

Great for relaxing

It is reminiscent of a murder case from 1748.

A beautiful, long avenue leading from Sieglar to the Siegdamm in the nature reserve.

Highlight of the Kriegsdorf history trail

Memorial site with St. Anthony's memorial stone and plenty of seating.

Nice place for a rest in the shade, which is somewhat rare in the fields.