Discover Hagen

Hagen offers a range of reasons to visit: archaeological finds from the post-Ice Age, a walk-through Planetarium Model, geological traces of hard coal mining and a direct connection to the Ruhr Valley Cycle Route at Lake Hengstey. The topics span from early human history to routes through the city. When planning your trip, consider which focus interests you most: a museum visit, exploring the city, geology or an outing connected to the Ruhr Valley Cycle Route.

Early Human History and Contemporary History

The Hagen Archaeological Museum at Werdringen Moated Castle displays the oldest known remains of modern humans from the post-Ice Age in Europe. They are more than 11,000 years old and were discovered in the Blätterhöhle cave in Hagen. Connecting a specific find site with its significance in a European context gives the archaeological topic a clear focus. If you are interested in early human history, this offers a special point of interest for planning your trip.

Guided tours of the Hagen Bunker and other surviving air-raid shelters from the Second World War and the Cold War offer a different historical perspective. The Volkshochschule Hagen (adult education centre) regularly runs these tours in cooperation with the city archive and city museum. The focus here is on surviving structures and two much more recent historical periods. If you would like to include this topic in your plans, consider taking a guided tour and check the dates before your visit.

Explore the City and Discover Geological Traces

Hagen is home to the world's first walk-through Planetarium Model. Large bronze plaques extend across several locations throughout the city. The model is therefore not limited to a single point, but spans several locations in the city. This offers a different way to explore the city than visiting a single exhibition venue.

Starting at Werdringen Moated Castle, the Kaisberg Geotrail leads to the earliest hard coal seams in the Ruhr region that were suitable for mining. The focus is therefore on the geological significance of the seams that were the first in the Ruhr region to be suitable for mining. The Planetarium Model and the geotrail have quite different focuses: the large bronze plaques extend across several locations throughout the city, while the geotrail focuses on coal seams and their geological significance. This can help you choose a topic that suits your interests without combining the two activities into a single route.

Lake Hengstey and Finding Accommodation

SeeBad Hengstey is located directly on the Ruhr Valley Cycle Route. Its history as an excursion destination for Hagen residents and visitors from the region dates back to 1929. Its connection to the cycle route is a useful point of reference if you would also like to plan your trip around cycling opportunities. The historical context adds a look at the history of excursions at Lake Hengstey to Hagen's other attractions.

When looking for accommodation in Hagen, you can focus on your own interests: early human history, guided tours of the air-raid shelters, the Planetarium Model locations, the geotrail or the cycle route connection at SeeBad. Compare accommodation locations with the destinations that matter for your trip, rather than basing your choice on a single keyword. For a bunker tour, you will also need to include the date in your plans. This way, you can choose accommodation that suits the interests you want to pursue during your stay in Hagen.

For the broader travel overview: Hagen.