Kottenforst Süd | Oben der Krayermaar and Köln-Praetorium

Scenic road chapters

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Kottenforst Süd | Oben der Krayermaar

   The southern Kottenforst is the Bonn locals' own backyard, and on a fine Sunday it feels like it. Tracks and rides cross the woodland in all directions, and the people on them are walkers, joggers, riders and families on bicycles rather than motorbikes. The name on the label, with its mention of a pond-like hollow called Maar, hints at the wet, clay-lined depressions that dot this plateau and hold water after rain. Underneath lie old Roman remains too, including part of the Eifel aqueduct that carried water toward Cologne, though you will see it only if you know where to look.

   Read the complete Kottenforst Süd | Oben der Krayermaar write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Kottenforst Süd | Oben der Krayermaar is where the day begins. Next is Castles of Augustusburg and Falkenlust at.

2. 2. Castles of Augustusburg and Falkenlust at

   Clemens August of Bavaria, prince-elector and archbishop of Cologne in the eighteenth century, loved two things above all: hunting with falcons and building in the latest style. At Brühl, just south of Cologne, he created two of the finest rococo buildings in Germany. Augustusburg Palace, his summer residence, has a staircase designed by Balthasar Neumann that is one of the masterpieces of the period, a whirl of marble, stucco and frescoes, and a formal French garden that stretches toward the forest. Falkenlust, a smaller hunting lodge at the end of a long avenue, was built for falconry, with a delightful interior decorated with tiles and lacquerwork. The two castles were listed by UNESCO in 1984.

   Read the complete Castles of Augustusburg and Falkenlust at write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Castles of Augustusburg and Falkenlust at comes up about 31 km into the recorded legs. Next is Köln-Praetorium.

3. 3. Köln-Praetorium

   Under Cologne's town hall there is a Roman palace, and you can walk through it. The Praetorium was the residence of the governor of the province of Lower Germany, a large building complex on the edge of the Rhine that dates from the first century and grew over the next few hundred years. The city, called Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium, was founded in the first century AD and named for Agrippina, the mother of the emperor Nero, who was born in a camp nearby. The remains of the palace were found during rebuilding after the Second World War, and the cellars and corridors are now open as an archaeological site.

   Read the complete Köln-Praetorium write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 47 km into the recorded legs you reach Köln-Praetorium. Next is back through Castles of Augustusburg and Falkenlust at.

4. 4. back through Castles of Augustusburg and Falkenlust at

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Castles of Augustusburg and Falkenlust at write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Castles of Augustusburg and Falkenlust at, late in the day. Next is Kottenforst Süd | Oben der Krayermaar.

5. 5. Kottenforst Süd | Oben der Krayermaar

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Kottenforst Süd | Oben der Krayermaar write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Kottenforst Süd | Oben der Krayermaar. That is the ride.