Zweifall: Hiking Trails and Forest History

Explore Zweifall through its hiking trails and traces of its forest, water, and craft history. If you are looking for hotels for a trip to Zweifall, these themes can help you include hikes and local history in your plans. The routes vary in length and course; the local landmarks also tell stories of different periods and techniques.

Comparing hiking trails

The signposted circular hiking trail maintained by IG Unser Dorf Zweifall is 15.5 km long, starts and ends in the town center, and offers shorter sections from 3 km. It has 255 meters of ascent and descent and runs mostly along wide forest tracks. The trail starts at the Old Schoolyard, opposite the Catholic church at Döllscheidter Straße 2. Parking with no time restrictions is available at the entrance to Zweifall from the direction of Vicht; the public transport stop is called Zweifall Kirche.

Another option is the moderately difficult Hasselbach Loop: it covers 13.1 km and starts and ends at the Solchbachtal parking lot in 52222 Stolberg-Zweifall. The Bachtäler Höhenroute also starts in Zweifall; its first stage runs 15.5 km to Simonskall. At first, it follows the Hasselbach and Gieschetbach streams. The two distances of 15.5 km therefore refer to different ways of planning: one is a circular hiking trail, the other a first stage with Simonskall as its destination. When choosing, you can also take into account the shorter sections of the circular trail, the stated difficulty of the Hasselbach Loop, and the starting point of each route.

Church, water, and crafts

Zweifall developed because of its favorable location where the Vicht and Hasselbach streams meet. The Protestant church in Zweifall was built in 1683/84 and is one of the region’s oldest purpose-built Lutheran churches. Above the portal, the keystone of the arch bears the inscription “God’s word remains forever.”

On the edge of Zweifall are traces of the former Junkershammer, a hammer forge from the 17th century powered by the Vicht. Along the Klapperweg, mill races, ponds, and old weirs along the Vicht also tell of the importance of water to crafts and early businesses in the valley: it was controlled, divided, and channeled. The first sawmills in Zweifall were initially powered by water, and later by steam and electricity.

The saw frame at the Zweifall Museum Sawmill dates from 1934 and was built in Aue, Saxony. The museum sawmill also houses historic tools for timber harvesting and equipment for measuring and marking wood. Photographs document the development of timber transport, from horses to trucks. A media station offers eight short films, including films about how a saw frame works, logging in the past and present, the functions of forests, and charcoal burning. Here, the history of machinery and tools stands alongside older forms of water power use.

Traces in the forest and townscape

From the 16th century onward, numerous charcoal-burning platforms were built around Zweifall. Visible traces remain as dark, circular depressions in the forest floor. Zweifall also has a forest nature trail. Another distinctive feature is the world’s longest bench, at 34 m, made from the trunk of a single Douglas fir.

The Reitwerke, traditional ironworks, are also part of local history: Zweifall has numerous well-preserved Reitwerke that can be visited on a guided hike. Together with the former charcoal-burning platforms and the forest nature trail, they offer different ways to explore the landscape and how it has been used. The Protestant church provides a different historical perspective, while the traces of the Junkershammer and the sawmill’s history tell of earlier crafts and technological development.

Culture in the wider destination of Stolberg (Rhld.)

Early modern copper courtyards are characteristic of the wider destination of Stolberg (Rhld.). Their architectural styles vary according to when they were built, and they do not follow a single, uniform design. Copper Courtyard Rose was built around 1600 and is now an arts and crafts center with studios belonging to several artists.

At the information center for the Schlangenberg nature reserve in Breinig, an exhibition explores the area’s geology, mining history, and natural environment, including the Galmei flora. It includes a 3D model of Schlangenberg and its surroundings, as well as a diorama featuring preserved natural elements from the local flora and fauna against a painted backdrop. Group tours can be arranged in advance. A leisurely stroll through the lanes of Stolberg’s Old Town also offers new perspectives time and again and brings history to life.

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