TERRA.track Alkenkuhle

The large hole with the exciting history, after which this circular path is named, is located in the forests between Ankum and Alfhausen. That's why hikers starting at the parking lot of the Ankum Golf Club ignore the 18 small holes of the well-maintained sports facility on the left and instead discover an ancient, mystical cultural landscape in the shade of the trees. In addition to the impressive Grumfeld West megalithic tomb, along the nearly ten-kilometer path, five more megalithic structures can be found, which were built around 5,000 years ago - making them the oldest preserved structures in Northwest Europe. Furthermore, evidence from later epochs of human history can be discovered: burial mounds, as were common until the Iron Age, as well as one of the rarer Bronze Age stone chest tombs.

Whether one believes in science or legends: No human found their final resting place in the Alkenkuhle. Most likely, the many meters deep crater-like hole was created by the force of water, which hollowed out the rock underground until it collapsed. The legend, on the other hand, claims that it formed very suddenly when God's wrath struck the innkeeper Alke at this spot. His "Alkenkrug" was halfway between Alfhausen and the church in Merzen, so the faithful would rest there every Sunday - but in his opinion, too briefly. So, to increase his sales, he insisted: "My house shall sink into the ground if you don't have enough time for another glass." That was a lie. His guests missed the Mass, God was angry, took Alke at his word, and so the Alkenkuhle was created. Allegedly, according to the legend, Alke's soul found no rest and he haunts the place where his inn once stood. But as long as you don't call his name three times, nothing should really happen.