Godmothers and godfathers
Commitment to the RuhrtalRadweg
City of Olsberg
Wolfgang Fischer, Mayor of the town of Olsberg
"As the oldest Kneipp town in NRW and now a Kneipp health spa, the town of Olsberg has long stood for health and well-being in a wonderful landscape. The RuhrtalRadweg has brought countless people closer to our town and its attractive health offerings. As a result, the premium bike path has become a "brand ambassador" for the town of Olsberg. I hope that many more people discover how varied and beautiful the RuhrtalRadweg is - and our town of Olsberg."
City of Arnsberg
Ralf Paul Bittner, Mayor of the City of Arnsberg
Since its opening in 2006, the RuhrtalRadweg has been a guarantor of tourism success for our region and our city of Arnsberg. This is due in no small part to the really good cooperation of the neighboring municipalities in the marketing and infrastructure working groups. The task of these working groups was and is: "Not to rest on our laurels but to work continuously on the success and, above all, on the quality of the river cycle path! The city of Arnsberg alone is in charge of a good 30 km of the cycle path and is thus the municipality with the largest share of the route. Every season, Arnsberg looks forward to the revitalization of the city by numerous bicycle tourists, who like to approach Arnsberg as the first stage destination, starting at the source of the Ruhr in Winterberg. We are happy to continue to work on the success of the RuhrtalRadweg.
Ense municipality
Rainer Busemann, Mayor of the municipality of Ense
"The RuhrtalRadweg is an enrichment for the community of Ense. The Ruhrtalradweg also offers smaller communities, such as Ense, the opportunity to reach the Ruhrgebiet and the Sauerland by bicycle. Through the cooperation with the members of the RuhrtalRadweg, an attractive bike path with great views and various experiences could be created in recent years. In the area around Ense, cyclists can experience tranquil villages, fields and floodplain landscapes as well as the extensive Arnsberg Forest. We look forward to continuing to improve and maintain the RuhrtalRadweg in the future."
Community of Wickede (Ruhr)
Martin Michalzik, Mayor, Municipality of Wickede (Ruhr)
"Wickede (Ruhr) is looking forward to being a municipality on the RuhrtalRadweg and working with strong partners to bring our beautiful landscape and attractive towns closer to many guests. The renaturation of the Ruhr in the central town of Wickede this year, as well as the redesign of the north bank for safe cycling and recreation on the river, fits perfectly with this. With this and the planned information center of a local world market leader for ergonomic cycling, we want to support the quality goals of the Ruhrtal Cycle Path with commitment."
City of Menden
Dr. Roland Schröder, Mayor City of Menden
"Menden is a proud part of the 240km RuhrtalRadweg. 23 municipalities that share the same goal across the borders: Bicycle tourism! Last year, we moved a lot together on the Menden section. We have gained a new cooperation partner directly on the RuhrtalRadweg. In addition, we have followed the award "1st tap water friendly long-distance cycle route" and have built another drinking water well in Menden also directly on the RuhrtalRadweg."
City of Fröndenberg
Sabina Müller, Mayor of the City of Fröndenberg
"The RuhrtalRadweg runs for a good 13 kilometers on Fröndenberg city territory. These are 13 kilometers of varied routes between nature reserves, settlement areas and an inviting gastronomy around the newly designed Fröndenberg marketplace. The RuhrtalRadweg charter is a real service and quality initiative. It unites the project partners and sets as one of its guiding goals to offer the bike traveler an eventful route from Winterberg to Duisburg. We are on board - We live the RuhrtalRadweg!"
City of Iserlohn
Michael Joithe, Mayor of the City of Iserlohn
"The section of the RuhrtalRadweg on Iserlohn city territory is only about 3,000 meters long, but that's 3,000 meters of pure nature enjoyment - from the Sieben-Zeichen bridge along the Ruhrauen to the Wellenbad. It is not only the symbol of successful inter-municipal cooperation, but also the ideal bicycle-tourist connection between the Ruhrgebiet and the Sauerland and combines the best of both worlds - nature and industrial culture - in a sporty way. Via the connection to the Ruhr-Lenne-Achter or the Baartalradweg, many bike tourists have already found their way from the north of Iserlohn to the Historic Factory Maste-Barendorf, to the city center or even to the south of Iserlohn."
City of Schwerte
Dimitrios Axourgos, Mayor City of Schwerte
"I am very happy that the twelve kilometers that the RuhrtalRadweg runs over the territory of our city is part of the 240 kilometers of cycling pleasure between the Sauerland and the Ruhrgebiet. Schwerte benefits from this in terms of tourism. I expect further improvements from the RuhrtalRadweg Charter 2026 and the cooperative community that signed this charter in 2022 - as is well known, community makes strong. So that our RuhrtalRadweg remains an ADFC quality bike route with four stars."
City of Hagen
Erik O. Schulz, Mayor of the City of Hagen
"In Hagen, we can see the continuously increasing number of cyclists on the RuhrtalRadweg not only in the regular evaluations, but also experience it every day on the banks of Lake Hengsteysee. The RuhrtalRadweg is thus an outstanding example of successful inter-municipal cooperation and we are a proud partner of this cooperation. With the redesign of the Hengsteysee lakeside promenade, through participation in the various committees of the cooperation and through investments in a bicycle-friendly infrastructure, we will leave no doubt in the future that we will continue to write this success story together with the other partners."
City of Herdecke
Dr. Katja Strauss-Köster, Mayor of the City of Herdecke
"Cycling enthusiasts appreciate the picturesque "Herdecke section" along the Ruhr. In order to further improve the quality, the narrow section below Zweibrücker Hof is to be optimized with the help of a separate routing of the cycle path and footpath. In addition, the paths are to be widened and orientation areas created. New signage will make the route to the Altstadt even clearer. Gastronomy and retail profit enormously from the bike travelers who like to stay in Herdecke."
City of Wetter (Ruhr)
Frank Hasenberg, Mayor of the City of Wetter (Ruhr)
"Discover the landscape and history from a bicycle: The RuhrtalRadweg, which leads leisurely along the Harkortsee, through the Schöntal and along the renaturalized banks of the Ruhr to Wengern, offers both. In addition to the beauties of nature, many exciting sights are located directly along the route. Whether you follow in the footsteps of the industrial pioneer Harkort in Freiheit or the famous cookbook author Davidis in the historic village center of Wengern - Wetter (Ruhr) has a lot to offer: Take a look at us! "
City of Witten
Lars König, Mayor of the City of Witten
The RuhrtalRadweg is one of the most attractive long-distance cycle routes in Germany. This is due in no small part to the central Ruhrtal and the Witten section with its course through the exciting and varied Muttental valley, which is significant for mining history, and along the scenic Ruhrauen meadows. The town of Witten benefits greatly from the tourist popularity of the RuhrtalRadweg. The RuhrtalRadweg is now also very important for everyday cycling in Witten and is an important addition to the cycling network. Therefore, we must also continue to invest in the quality of the path and the improvement of the connection to the city districts and the city center in order to meet the growing demands of bicycle traffic. The RuhrtalRadweg charter symbolizes the strong cooperative community behind the Ruhrtalradweg. Together we want to increase the quality of the long-distance cycle route. The city of Witten will do its part.
City of Bochum
Thomas Eiskirch, Lord Mayor of the City of Bochum
"The RuhrtalRadweg is now one of the most beautiful and popular bike paths in Germany. Bochum is right in the middle of it and the nine kilometers of the cycle path run through one of Bochum's most scenic landscape areas: the Kemnader See and the Ruhrtal. They are of great importance for local recreation and (bicycle) tourism. We have already benefited greatly from quality assurance for the RuhrtalRadweg; paths have been newly constructed, widened, equipped with rest areas or redesigned as bicycle lanes. We plan by bike and the RuhrtalRadweg is part of that."
City of Hattingen
Dirk Glaser, Mayor of the City of Hattingen
"The RuhrtalRadweg is thoroughly beautiful because all the riparian municipalities are working together on it. It is a trademark for Hattingen with its industrial culture and the Altstadt and is known far beyond thanks to the cooperation. Together with our neighboring towns, we are making the RuhrtalRadweg even more attractive for the future. But we are not only working on the development of the route in terms of tourism, but also in terms of transportation, because it is an important component of the mobility revolution."
City of Essen
Thomas Kufen, Lord Mayor of the City of Essen
"In Essen, the RuhrtalRadweg is the backbone for bicycle tourism and local recreation. With more than 30 km, my hometown has the longest section of the 240 km RuhrtalRadweg. Users are offered a varied course: Industrial culture with the Heinrich colliery winding tower, the FFH area Heisinger Aue, Lake Baldeneysee as the largest Ruhr reservoir, hilly landscapes rich in forests and pretty town centers such as Werden and Kettwig, are all there to be experienced and discovered. "
City of Mülheim an der Ruhr
Marc Buchholz, Lord Mayor of the City of Mülheim an der Ruhr
"It has developed into a real success story: Opened in 2006, the RuhrtalRadweg, one of the most popular long-distance cycle routes, runs 14 km through our city area and, with many tens of thousands of day tourists* and overnight guests every year, is a real economic factor and image booster. For this reason, we as the city of Mülheim, together with Mülheim Stadtmarketing und Tourismus GmbH (MST), have committed ourselves to further developing the RuhrtalRadweg and making it fit for the future. My special thanks go to Ruhr Tourismus GmbH, which is paving the way for this with the RuhrtalRadweg Charter."
Hochsauerlandkreis
Dr. Karl Schneider, District Administrator Hochsauerlandkreis
"The origin of the RuhrtalRadweg is not only geographically in the Hochsauerlandkreis: In 2010, the Sauerländer Gebirgsverein (SGV) suggested the cycle path to the Hochsauerlandkreis. Later, in close cooperation with Ruhr Tourismus GmbH (RTG) and the Ruhr Regional Association (RVR), the current route was defined, a feasibility study was prepared and then the RuhrtalRadweg was opened in April 2006. Since then, this concept has become a showcase project among the approximately 200 tourist river bike paths in Germany. The low mountain range landscape in the Hochsauerland district is a paradise for bicycle travelers. At the latest since the establishment of e-mobility in cycling, the bicycle has become a serious alternative to the car in the hilly Sauerland, even away from the Ruhrtal. Here, too, the RuhrtalRadweg fulfills an important connecting function for everyday bicycle traffic. A bicycle is only as stable as each individual spoke and the hub holds everything together! Therefore, the good cooperation with the municipalities and partners and the will to further promote this unique river trail are a very special part of this success story. A success story that also creates significant economic benefits for the hotel, restaurant and retail industries."
Soest district
Dr. Jürgen Wutschka, Head of Department for Regional Development District of Soest
"The RuhrtalRadweg is an outstanding themed route in the southern district of Soest. It opens up to guests the extensive offer of the ADFC-RadReiseRegion HellwegBörde, with 460 kilometers of themed routes on 960 kilometers of designated bike network. Premium theme routes "QuerFeldLand", "MöhnetalRadweg" and "WasserWegeWinkel" connect the RuhrtalRadweg with the "Römer-Lippe-Route" in the north of the RadReiseRegion. The combination of these offers makes the RuhrtalRadweg particularly attractive for bike travelers here."
Unna district
Mario Löhr, District Administrator Kreis Unna
"I am pleased that we have developed the RuhrtalRadweg into a relevant tourist flagship in North Rhine-Westphalia. In the district of Unna, this cycle path is of great importance, because cycling has a high value in our region. The successful cooperation enables us to mutually benefit from each other and to live up to our claim of maintaining a permanently attractive Ruhrtalradweg so that we continue to be perceived as an attractive cycling region. I am grateful for the many years of good cooperation and look forward to further successful years. "
Ennepe-Ruhr district
Olaf Schade, District Administrator Ennepe-Ruhr District
"The RuhrtalRadweg in a league with top river bike paths in Germany - what was long unthinkable has long since become reality. The starting signal for this episode of inter-communal cooperation, which has been gratifyingly successful for all involved, was given in 2006 at Zeche Nachtigall in Witten. With Herdecke, Wetter and Hattingen, three more of our towns lie along the Ruhr Valley Cycle Path. Like all 23 neighboring towns, they benefit in many ways from tourism on two wheels."
Sauerland Tourism e.V.
Dr. Jürgen Fischbach, Managing Director Sauerland-Tourismus e.V.
"The development of the RuhrtalRadweg was at the same time the start of bicycle tourism for the Sauerland. Hardly anyone would have thought that the Sauerland, as a low mountain range region, was suitable for this theme. Today, we are not only one of the most popular destinations for sporty cycling, but also a very attractive touring region. The RuhrtalRadweg is our top product in this respect. However, this also entails the great responsibility of maintaining the quality of the RuhrtalRadweg at a correspondingly high level - we want to work on this together and sustainably in the coming years."
Ruhr Tourism GmbH
Axel Biermann, Managing Director Ruhr Tourismus GmbH
"For me, the RuhrtalRadweg means, above all, living cooperation! Since the beginning of the RuhrtalRadweg (2006), it has been a daily pleasure for us at Ruhr Tourismus GmbH to consolidate proven projects and to develop new exciting projects around the RuhrtalRadweg for and with this strong project community. The cooperation on eye level with all cooperation members is of crucial importance for the continuing success of this quality route! Cooperation cannot be more exciting!"