Fürthen: River Bends, Border History and Routes

Fürthen combines a striking bend in the river with a distinctive border history. The Sieg forms a large loop around the municipality; Fürthen lies directly on the border with North Rhine-Westphalia. There are also cycling and hiking trails of varying lengths and destinations.

The Sieg and Border History

The Bellingerbach connects two periods in the region’s border history: it once formed the border between Berg and Sayn and today marks the state border between Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia. Fürthen’s history also includes disputed territorial rights, which were settled by the Treaty of Siegburg in 1604 and a supplementary agreement in 1607. Rivers and borders are therefore both important to understanding the area, but in different ways: the Sieg defines its landscape, while the Bellingerbach also serves as a historical and present-day border.

The border location is also reflected in the divided settlement: Oppertsau on the Rhineland-Palatinate side belongs to Fürthen, while Opperzau on the North Rhine-Westphalia side belongs to Windeck. The similar-sounding place names therefore refer to different administrative affiliations. It is especially helpful to keep this in mind when reading a route description that mentions Opperzau or Oppertsau.

Rail Connections and Routes

Au (Sieg) station on the Cologne–Siegen line is about a 15-minute walk from Fürthen. When planning your journey, you can factor in this walk separately from the cycling and hiking routes.

The Sieg Cycle Path passes through Fürthen and continues toward Windeck-Au and Hamm/Sieg. Check route conditions and signage before setting out. The Sieg Cycle Route is about 64 kilometers long. Another cycling option is the Hammer Mountain and Valley Tour, a 42.8-kilometer circular route. It passes through Opsen and through the Siegbogen in Opperzau; it also follows the Bellingerbach valley toward Wäldchen.

For walkers, the Wäller Tour Raiffeisen Sunday Stroll offers a different distance: the circular route is about seven kilometers long and reaches the Siegbogen in Fürthen. Its destination details differ from those of the cycling tour: the latter passes through the Siegbogen in Opperzau, while the walk reaches the Siegbogen in Fürthen. The place names make it possible to distinguish between these similarly named destinations.

The distances provide a concrete comparison by activity and length: about seven kilometers for the walk, 42.8 kilometers for the cycling loop, and about 64 kilometers for the Sieg Cycle Route. The Holperbachtal is also part of the hiking area: some parts of Fürthen north of the Sieg belong to it, and there are hiking trails in the Holperbachtal.

More topics in the Altenkirchen destinationAltenkirchen

The wider Altenkirchen destination has other distinct topics to explore. In Flammersfeld, Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen founded the “Flammersfelder Hülfsverein zur Unterstützung unbemittelter Landwirthe” in 1849, the world’s first cooperative credit association. Marienthal is still a popular pilgrimage site today. The Klosterdorfweg trail runs around the former Franciscan monastery and through the Archdiocese of Cologne’s shady spa forest.

Discover more destinations: Flammersfeld, Gebhardshain, Altenkirchen, Betzdorf, Neitersen, Selbach (Sieg), Helmeroth, Obererbach.

Back to the main travel overview: Altenkirchen.