Six jogging laps to get you fit for spring
Six jogging laps to get you fit for spring
Ready, set, go!
Have you peeled yourself out of your winter clothes and still feel too wrapped up? Then it's time to start your spring fitness program. To avoid boredom, it's a good idea to change your route regularly. Fortunately, there is plenty of nature in the Rhine metropolis - even in the middle of the city! Are you not normally into inner-city jogging? Then get ready for something: I will experience a green (and blue) miracle in Düsseldorf.
Through the south park
Together with the adjacent Südpark, the Volksgarten forms Düsseldorf's largest green lung and is an Eldorado for joggers. A preferred route of around seven kilometers offers maximum variety - and one or two temptations that you will hopefully be able to resist. You start at the "Zeitfeld", a work of art with 24 station clocks by Klaus Rinke opposite the Volksgarten S-Bahn station. From here, you walk past the boathouse (from which the smell of waffles sometimes wafts - don't stop!) through the old part of the park, which welcomes you with large maple and beech trees. The wide path, which is also well-lit in the evening, winds its way south and leads you to a small farm with an organic food store, petting zoo and cake café (don't stop here either) and on to a large lake planted with cherry trees on its eastern shore. At the Deichgraf restaurant, keep to the right and take the path through the former Buga grounds, where there is always something in bloom. Return past the Akki cultural center and along the railroad line to the starting point. Time comparison at the clock field - next time two minutes faster!
Bridge round
This loop is ideal for beginners. The banks of the Rhine offer flat terrain and the fantastic panoramic views across the river make the effort almost completely forgettable. You start at the Apollo Theater, under the Rheinkniebrücke bridge, and take the winding ramp up to the bridge. The Rhine Tower, State Parliament and the Gehry buildings greet you on the left, while the wide river flows leisurely at your feet. On the other bank, turn right and pass the villas on Kaiser-Wilhelm-Ring, whose residents enjoy the best view of the Old Town panorama. Walk under the plane trees or take the path down to the Rhine meadows to follow the course of the river. The Oberkassler Bridge, which connects the district of the same name with the city center, now lies ahead of you. As you cross it, you will see the round brick building of the Tonhalle, turn right at the foot of the bridge towards the Academy of Art and back to the banks of the Rhine. The promenade designed by Niklaus Fritschi, Benedikt Stahl and Günter Baum awaits you at the water's edge, leading you past the castle tower and the old town back to the starting point. A refreshing apple spritzer awaits you on the terrace of the KIT. You've earned it now!
Up and down in the Aaper Forest
Ambitious runners in particular may feel underchallenged on the flat routes along the Rhine. If you want to get your heart rate up a little more, the Aaper or Grafenberger Wald are the perfect places for you. It's a nice uphill and downhill route there - with the added benefit of great views over the city. The starting point for the approximately six-kilometre route is the parking lot on the corner of Bauenhäuser Weg/ Fahneburgstraße/ Rennbahnstraße. The jogging route is signposted: For the challenging A1 loop, please follow the black signs with white lettering. Soft forest ground, interrupted here and there by asphalt, makes up for the steep ramps: the route has a total ascent of 90 meters. Even professionals work up quite a sweat - even in the cool early spring. Maybe just take a break from time to time and enjoy the forest air to the full. An alternative for those who are not (yet) quite so fit: the slightly shorter A2 route.
Round Urdenbacher Kämpe
Not to relax your legs, but to unwind. What could be better for this than a run through the Urdenbacher Kämpe, Düsseldorf's largest nature reserve? Here in the extensive floodplain landscape, through which the renaturalized Old Rhine meanders, the Haus Bürgel Biological Station has defined various circular hiking trails as part of the EU-funded "AuenBlicke" project, some of which can also be perfectly explored while jogging. Such as the 4.5-kilometre "Kämpe kompakt" route: You start at the Piels Loch hiking parking lot on Baumberger Weg. You follow the Ortweg and then continue via Am Ausleger on a paved road through the Fallobstwiesen meadows to the ferry landing stage in Zons. The way back leads along an unpaved path downstream along the Rhine, past the mighty "stilt poplars", which look like something out of a fairy tale with their bizarre growth and roots washed out by the floods. The last few meters are then again characterized by orchards and wet meadows - and when the apple trees are in white blossom later in the spring, you should not find this difficult either. If you prefer to follow the Old Rhine and cover more distance, we recommend the 10-kilometre "Kämpe inklusiv" circular route. You can find more routes through the Urdenbacher Kämpe at www.auenblicke.de.
Around the Unterbacher See
Swimming, surfing, sailing - Unterbacher See is one of the places to go for water sports enthusiasts in Düsseldorf. But you can also indulge in some excellent fitness on the shore there and recharge your batteries at the same time, as fresh air and great views are guaranteed. The circuit around Unterbacher See covers around six kilometers - a route for beginners and advanced runners alike, as the number of laps can be extended as required, depending on your motivation and stamina. The surface is partly gravel and partly asphalt, and only a few sections of the route are floodlit. It is therefore best to train here during the day. A possible starting point: the parking lot at Kleiner Torfbruch. Düsseldorf's south-east also offers beautiful running routes away from Unterbacher See, especially in the adjacent Eller Forst with its 15-kilometre network of trails. Around 40 bird species breed in the city's oldest nature reserve. Also recommended: a walk around the neighboring Elbsee lake.
The "Blue Ribbon" on the Rhine
Hello spring! When the crocuses venture out of the ground, the sparrows are literally whistling from the rooftops: Winter will soon be history. The "Blue Ribbon" in the Rheinpark Golzheim and the Hofgarten now consists of no less than eleven million crocuses, which, depending on the weather, create an impressive carpet of flowers between February and March. This blue wonder on the green meadow is sure to impress you. The crocuses are sponsored by Pro Düsseldorf, a non-profit organization for urban beautification, which had the first bulbs planted in 2008. The splendour starts near the Theodor Heuss Bridge, where the "Blue Ribbon", whose curved shape symbolizes the waves of the Rhine and its course, measures around 2.5 kilometers. That's also 2.5 kilometers, which you can also enjoy by running. To complete the jogging circuit, turn right towards the water at the southern end of the Rheinpark at the level of the Rheinterrassen. Doing this loop several times a week is not only worthwhile from a sporting point of view. After all, it is simply too beautiful to watch how, after a tentative start, more and more flowers open day by day - until spring actually arrives.
Cover picture: Düsseldorf Tourismus GmbH, photographer U. Otte
