Bergheim: History, Culture and Trails

Bergheim combines urban history and culture with walking trails, cycling routes and a variety of leisure activities. If you are looking for a hotel in Bergheim, you might first consider whether you would like to focus your stay on cultural attractions, events or time outdoors.

Urban History and Culture

The BERGHEIMAT Museum is located in the centre of the pedestrian zone. Listening stations, interactive exhibits and a small museum cinema bring Bergheim’s history to life and let you experience it from different perspectives. The museum hosts permanent and temporary exhibitions, as well as year-round events on local historical topics, local customs and the culture of the district town. The tourist information office in the museum offers information and tips on sights, leisure activities and current events.

The Aachen Gate tells another chapter in the town’s history. It was built at the beginning of the 14th century as Bergheim became a town and was fortified, and it guarded the long-distance trade route between Cologne and Aachen.

The MEDIO.RHEIN.ERFT also offers cultural events in Bergheim throughout the year, including classical music, jazz, comedy and theatre. Bergheim’s tour guides show visitors the district town from different perspectives and bring its history to life. While events at the MEDIO.RHEIN.ERFT cover a range of cultural genres, the guided tours focus on Bergheim’s history.

Trails Through Town and Countryside

Fortunafeld covers about seven square kilometres of reclaimed land and has an almost 40-kilometre network of paths. In the Erft floodplain in Zieverich, you can walk along the partly renaturalised Erft. Peringsmaar, a former open-cast mining lake in the north of Bergheim, can be circled on foot. Choose from different landscape experiences: a network of trails, a riverside route or a walk around the lake.

A signposted hiking route runs along the Wiedenfelder Höhe, parallel to the “Speedway:terra nova”. It follows forest trails to a viewpoint overlooking the power station in Niederaußem. Work may cause temporary restrictions; check before your visit whether the route is affected.

Bergheim is a stage stop on the Erft Cycle Route. The Pulheimer Bach Water Discovery Trail offers a different focus: it runs from Bergheim to Pulheim and shares information about the local flora, fauna and people on 30 information boards.

Town Centre, Getting Here and Leisure

The town centre has a pedestrian zone more than 1,000 metres long, with places to shop, stroll and relax. Bergheim is right off the A61 and can be reached by bus and train. Events in Bergheim’s town centre include live music, street food, wine and beer, as well as a St Nicholas sing-along. Individual events and dates may vary. Check the specific dates if you are planning your trip around them.

Recommended leisure activities in Bergheim include a kayaking tour on the Erft, mini golf, gliding and golf at a golf course. Horse riding is another way to explore the surrounding area. Indoor play centres and adventure farms are recommended as leisure ideas for families with children.

Discover more destinations: Pulheim, Bedburg, Wesseling, Erftstadt, Brühl, Elsdorf, Kerpen, Frechen.

Back to the main travel overview: Rhein-Erft District.