Borken (Hesse): Lakes, Cycling Routes and Mining History

Borken (Hesse) combines a lake landscape, cycling routes and traces of lignite mining with historic buildings. Each of these themes offers its own highlights and can help you plan your days around your interests.

Landscape, lakes and waterways

Borken is a small town in northern Hesse and part of the Schwalm-Eder district. The town lies in the Landsburg Basin and the Hessengau, both landscapes within the West Hesse Depression. Small streams such as the Olmes, Hundsbach and Lembach drain the Borken Basin. The Schwalm flows from west to east through the town.

The Borken Lake District comprises four lakes surrounded by meadows and forests. Activities available there include swimming, surfing, diving, walking and cycling. The Stockelache natural swimming lake has a sandy beach, bathing islands, a waterslide and a restaurant. When planning, you can choose between different activities on the water and the specific facilities mentioned at Stockelache.

Cycling routes with different focuses

For a cycling tour linking several bodies of water and a protected area, the signposted Lakes Circular Route provides a guide: it is about 22.5 kilometres long and runs past Singliser See, Gombether See and Stockelache natural swimming lake to the Borkener See nature reserve. There is a temporary notice about a bridge closure on this route. So check current route conditions before setting off.

The 32-kilometre Lignite Circular Route passes through the former Borken lignite mining area and can be explored by bicycle or on foot. The Hessian R15 connects the Borken Lake District with Silbersee near Frielendorf; it starts near Borken on the Hessian long-distance cycle route R4. Compared with the Lakes Circular Route’s approximately 22.5 kilometres, the Lignite Circular Route is longer and has a different focus: the area’s former mining industry. The route details make it easier to choose a tour based on distance and interests.

Mining history and nature in transition

Borken’s history in the 20th century is linked to lignite mining and lignite-based electricity generation in Hesse. The “Kohle & Energie” theme park shows how lignite was extracted in open-cast mines and used to generate electricity. The focus is on the technical process from extraction to energy production.

The “Borkener See” Nature Information Centre offers a different perspective: it explains how nature is recovering in the former mining landscape, with displays on animals and plants and interactive media. Together with the Lignite Circular Route, it offers a way to explore both the history of mining and the landscape’s subsequent transformation. If these topics interest you, you can choose between an explanatory exhibition, nature interpretation and a tour through the former mining area.

Buildings and historical traces

The “Altes Amtsgericht” cultural centre is Borken’s oldest building. This half-timbered house dates from 1473. St Michael’s Church is in the Borken district of Kleinenglis and features significant late Gothic murals from the 15th and 16th centuries. The two buildings represent different chapters in local architectural history: one through its half-timbered construction and early date, the other through its murals.

Written records also offer a historical reference point: documents from 1303 and 1314 describe Borken as an “oppidum” and “civitas.” Together with the buildings and traces of mining, they form a broad range of themes for a stay, spanning everything from medieval records to more recent industrial history.

Discover more destinations: Morschen, Spangenberg, Homberg/Efze, Melsungen, Fritzlar, Willingshausen, Ottrau, Frielendorf

View the broader travel overview: Schwalm-Eder district.