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Giesbach

A roughly 8.3 km stream that rises in the Königsforst and finally splits into two arms that seep away in ponds – with a water-treading station at a tri-city point.

Outdoor

The Giesbach is a stream of around 8.3 kilometres that rises in the Königsforst and flows across the Wahner Heide as far as Rath/Heumar. At its water-treading pool, three cities meet at a single point.

At a glance

Length
approx. 8.3 km
Source
Königsforst, north of Forsbach at the eastern start of the Brück-Forsbacher Weg
Direction of flow
south-westerly
Highlight
water-treading pool on the Rath-Forsbacher Weg, where Cologne, Bergisch Gladbach and Rösrath meet
Passes through
Königsforst and Wahner Heide
End
Schloss Röttgen in Rath/Heumar — seeps away into ponds
Crosses
Rösrather Straße, the A3 motorway, Bensberger Straße, Heumarer Mauspfad
Did you know?

At the water-treading station on Rath-Forsbacher Weg three cities meet at a single point: Cologne, Bergisch Gladbach and Rösrath all come together here.

Things to do here

  • Hike through the Königsforst
  • Try Kneipp water-treading at the station on Rath-Forsbacher Weg
  • Pause at the point where Cologne, Bergisch Gladbach and Rösrath meet

Source and setting

The Giesbach begins in the Königsforst north of Forsbach, at the point where the Brück-Forsbacher Weg starts in the east. From here it turns to the south-west, a direction it keeps for its entire course.

One spot is particularly special: at the water-treading pool on the Rath-Forsbacher Weg, the municipal boundaries of Cologne, Bergisch Gladbach and Rösrath all come together — a tri-border point in miniature that you can cross in a few steps.

Course and outflow

Beyond the water-treading pool, the stream first passes beneath Rösrather Straße and then under the A3 motorway. With that it leaves the woodland behind and enters the Wahner Heide, running along the southern edge of military training pond 3. Here, too, water and paths keep crossing: the Giesbach passes under Bensberger Straße and the Heumarer Mauspfad.

The stream comes to an end on the grounds of Schloss Röttgen in Rath/Heumar, where it splits into a main and a secondary arm — both seep away into ponds rather than flowing into any larger body of water.

Map

Blue dots: other places nearby — tap to explore.

You might also like — related or nearby

Kurtenwaldbach

A stream from the Bergisches Land that winds through the Wahner Heide and ends by seeping into a pond at Gut Leidenhausen — never reaching a river.

Selbach (Flehbach)

A stream running entirely through the Königsforst nature reserve, flowing roughly five kilometres before joining the Flehbach opposite the Erkermühle mill.

Aachener Weiher

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A 1920s artificial lake in Cologne's Inner Green Belt, framed by a beer garden, East Asian art, and the Hiroshima-Nagasaki Park.

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Sources & links

Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-07-15

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