Ennepetal: Caves, Reservoir and Industrial Heritage
Accommodation in Ennepetal
Ennepetal offers a range of experiences for a trip: cave tours and hiking trails sit alongside reminders of its industrial past. There is also a reservoir and scenic viewpoints. When planning your stay, you can focus on the themes that interest you most.
Industrial history at the museum and Krenzer Hammer
The brick building of the Ennepetal Industrial Museum was originally built in 1890 to produce wood screws. From 1951 to 2005, it served as an iron foundry. The collection includes castings documenting the company’s history, models, work tools and photographs from that period. The building itself is also distinctive: 60 cast-iron columns support the ceilings. The building, collection and former use offer different ways to explore the history of this industrial location.
The museum aims to make technology a hands-on experience, particularly casting and forging. Other topics include the region’s mining history and machining processes. This offers a perspective ranging from specific production methods to different chapters in the history of technology.
Krenzer Hammer focuses on a different aspect. The historic tool factory in the Ennepe Valley is Ennepetal’s last operating open-die forge. It makes specialist tools for a range of professions. Visits and guided tours about the art of blacksmithing are offered to schools and other interested visitors; under supervision, participants can make a small forged item. For specific visit plans, it is a good idea to check the latest dates.
Klutert Cave, reservoir and viewpoints
Klutert Cave is the Ruhr region’s only National Natural Monument. Its cave system comprises 380 passages, some of which are explored on guided tours. Options include standard tours as well as crawling and scrambling tours. The figure of 380 therefore describes the cave system, not the length of any single tour. If you are planning a tour, check the latest dates in advance.
Heilenbecke Reservoir is another of Ennepetal’s notable places: it is considered the oldest reservoir in South Westphalia. The Hohenstein viewing platform was built on a rocky slope and offers views of the Ennepe Valley and the Ahlhausen estate. In Hülsenbecke Valley, visitors can observe animals in wildlife enclosures, bird aviaries and ponds. These include ducks, goats, donkeys, fallow deer, guinea pigs and raccoons, as well as many other animals.
Hiking routes with similar timeframes
The “Sun, Forest and Water” hiking route starts at Klutertbad and runs via Hülsenbecke Valley, Dorn, Niederhülsenbecke, the Uhlenbart car park and Heilenbecke Reservoir to Niederklütingen, Filde, Herminghausen, Rüggeberg and Willringhausen. It then returns to Klutertbad via Hülsenbecke Valley. The estimated walking time is about six hours.
The Handwerkerweg (Craftsmen’s Trail) is also designed to take around six hours. It runs from Voerde via the forest nature trail, Bilsteiner Kopf, the Ennepe Valley, Krenzer Hammer, Finkenberger Mill, Hasenkehrmühle Country Bakery and Hasper Reservoir, before returning to Voerde. The two routes therefore have similar timeframes but different stops: one includes Heilenbecke Reservoir, while the other passes Krenzer Hammer and the other places mentioned. The route descriptions can help you choose between the two hikes based on the places you would most like to visit.
Discover more travel destinations: Wetter, Schwelm, Breckerfeld, Witten, Herdecke, Sprockhövel, Hattingen, Gevelsberg.
Go to the main travel overview: Ennepe-Ruhr District.
