Discovery loop Traces of the coal drivers

The Explorer Loop leads from the 3rd stage of the neanderland STEIG to Velbert-Langenberg. The path leads through the natural and romantic Windrather Valley past meadows and fields cultivated by farmers according to the criteria of organic farming.

Formerly, these farms were passed by the coal driver paths from Essen-Kupferdreh via Velbert-Nierenhof and -Langenberg to Wuppertal-Dönberg and into the Bergisches Land. The coal driver paths were the first transport routes of early coal mining. The arduous transport of the black gold was carried out on horseback. Steep inclines had to be overcome, often forcing the horse and coal driver to walk in single file.

A section of the coal driver paths was replaced in 1831 by the railway line "Prinz-Wilhelm-Bahn" in the valley. Horses pulled the wagons from Kupferdreh to Nierenhof. Only with the extension to Wuppertal-Vohwinkel in 1847 were they replaced by steam locomotives. The paths of the coal drivers remain, serving as a reminder of this past.