Sophienhöhe 16 km

This walk takes you onto the Sophienhöhe, the largest man-made hill in the world. The hill was created by surface mining the open cast lignite (Braunkohle) mine Tagebau Hambach. The mine is still being exploited and the hill is still growing south-eastward. Large parts of the hill are now covered with forests and lakes, but more open areas are also present, mostly close to the Tagebau. A large network of partly marked paths and dirt roads covers the hill, and you can find orientation markers with a map at numerous locations.
You start at a parking lot. There used to be a café (Sophienhöhe) there, but it had been completely demolished when I showed up. During the walk you will not find another place to buy food or drink.
You zigzag slowly from about 100 m to 240 m, where the route goes east towards the Tagebau. It is forbidden to approach the mine, and you need binoculars to see a little bit of the mine. You pass by a radar tower and go to the tree circle, where various species of trees have recently been planted. From here you turn west to an older part of the hill and approach the northern side of the Sophienhöhe, where you will find two panoramic spots (see waypoints) to view northeast of the Sophienhöhe and also get a better view of part of the mine and the large equipment that is being used to mine the lignite and dig away the earth. You then turn back southwest and climb the Höller Horn, a sandy hill at 294 m with a beacon on top. From here you go to the Römer Turm (Roman tower) at the highest point of the Sophienhöhe at 302 m. You then go back to the parking lot via the Inselsee. On the way, you will find a large cross (see waypoint), and the 'Mammutwald' (see waypoint).
I was inspired by the first walk described in the Rother Wanderführer Eifel (Bergverlag Rother). The track described here deviates strongly from that walk, among others because the hill has grown further in the mean time.