Haus Bürgel is a manor farm that sits on top of a Roman fort, quite literally. The walls of a late Roman fortification, built in the fourth century to guard the Rhine frontier, form part of the foundations and outer walls of the medieval and later farm buildings, and the site is part of the Lower German Limes World Heritage Site, inscribed in 2021. Between Monheim and Düsseldorf-Urdenbach, it lies in a broad meadow landscape on the right bank of the Rhine.
The curious thing is that the fort was originally on the left bank. The Rhine has shifted its course many times, and according to local accounts a great flood in the Middle Ages moved the river to the other side of Bürgel, leaving the site on the opposite bank from where the Romans had built it. The meadows around, the Urdenbacher Kämpe, are now a nature reserve with old river channels, pollarded willows, orchards and wildlife, including storks, herons and many birds.
Across the river, the medieval customs town of Zons has walls, towers and a castle, one of the best preserved small fortified towns on the Rhine. The ferry between the two banks is a pleasant way to cross, and Zons is worth a stroll. Düsseldorf, with its old town, Rhine promenade and art collections, is just to the north, and Cologne is not far to the south.
Riding in this area is mostly flat and urban, with dense traffic around Düsseldorf and Cologne and busy roads along the Rhine. But the dyke roads and lanes through the meadows are quiet and pleasant, and the small villages and farms give a feel of the old Rhineland. Watch for cyclists, who are many, and for speed cameras.
Monheim, four kilometres away, and Dormagen across the river are both big enough for fuel and a meal without any searching. The Rhineland is beer country: Altbier in Düsseldorf, Kölsch in Cologne, and the rivalry between them is serious. A plate of Rhineland food, such as Sauerbraten or Himmel und Ääd, black pudding with potato and apple, is a good way to round off a ride.