Dellbrücker Heide Cologne
A small nature reserve
Dellbrücker Heide is a nature reserve with a small gravel pit lake. It is one of the most ecologically valuable areas in the Rhineland. Among the species you can see are butterflies and grasshoppers that have become extinct in other areas of the Bergische Heideterrasse, even in the Wahner Heide. You can also see a number of other open habitat species such as the natterjack toad and the red-backed shrike. A shepherd keeps goats and sheep in order to keep the habitat open and preserve the associated species. The reserve organises free guided tours, which you can join.
Next to the Dellbrücker Heide is a large quarry lake: the Höhenfelder See. It is not a nature reserve and is used for recreational purposes such as barbecues, sunbathing and jogging. A little further north, in Köln Dünnwald, there is a wildlife park, an arboretum and an open-air swimming pool (called Waldbad Dünnwald). I particularly enjoy this area in spring, when the brooms and rhododendrons are in bloom and you can see the sand lizards sunbathing.
Dellbrücker Heide is an 11-minute walk from Köln-Dellbrück station, which is a 14-minute train ride from Cologne Central Station (S11).
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