The best traffic-free bike rides around Diez

Beautiful

Diez station is located on the historic Lahn Valley Railway between Limburg and Koblenz and was once an important junction with a connection to the Aartal Railway to Wiesbaden. Opened in 1862, the neoclassical station building was constructed in 1863 according to plans by Heinrich Velde and modernized in 1910. Today, the building stands empty, has changed hands several times, and is in a dilapidated state, in need of renovation. Despite planned accessibility improvements by Deutsche Bahn, the work is delayed due to ownership issues and structural problems. The site presents a stark contrast between the heyday of the Lahn Valley Railway and its current state of decay – a melancholic spot for photography enthusiasts and railway lovers, located directly on the Lahn Cycle Path and ideally suited as a starting point or stopover on Komoot.

The old station was once a lively place, full of sounds: steaming locomotives and waiting travelers. Freight cars were shunted, signals clicked, and the waiting room smelled of coal and fresh newspapers. This was where journeys to distant lands began or where workdays ended in the commuter traffic that shaped the life of the region. Today, the station has become silent; the tracks have disappeared or have become cycle paths. The station building bears traces of time, perhaps a café, a residential building, or simply a silent memory. But if you look closely, you can still recognize the rhythm of past decades—the course of the tracks in the grass, the ramp at the goods shed, the sign with faded lettering. The old station speaks without words of new beginnings and change, of technology and humanity, of the time when the train still meant heartbeat and connection here.

Park your bike for a moment, because at the old level crossing in Holzheim, you can practically smell the history of the Aartal Cycle Path! Right here, where you're cruising along now, the Aartal Railway steam locomotive once thundered past, and the crossing guard made his grand entrance. Close your eyes for a moment and listen to the hissing and puffing, the squealing of the brakes, and the shrill whistle of the locomotive before it jolted across Kirchstrasse – that was the sound of freedom, not just of freight traffic! Observe the remnants of the old tracks and the vanished barriers, which today are merely lines in the asphalt. This is pure, decelerated railway nostalgia and shows us cyclists that we've snagged the best route – without steam, but with plenty of momentum! A little humorous thought: When you ride over here at full speed, for a moment you'll feel almost as fast as the locomotive did back then.

The Staffelbrücke is a historic bridge in Limburg an der Lahn, Hesse, connecting the old town with the western part of the city and the local communities of Altendiez and Heistenbach. Originally, this bridge was an arched bridge, its arches supported by round brick piers. The oldest parts probably date back to the 16th century. The central bridge arches were blown up in 1634 on the orders of Princess Sophie Hedwig during the Thirty Years' War. The bridge is a popular destination for cyclists, hikers, and photographers, as it offers beautiful views of the Lahn River and Diez Castle. Also nearby are the Lahnanlagen, which are considered Diez's answer to a riverside promenade and were redesigned in 2009 by landscape architect Michael Kürzinger.

Curious to see what was here, I went looking after my bike ride. Aha—quarry loading ramp. I found old photos in a forum... If you're interested: https://www.drehscheibe-online.de/foren/read.php?017,11017227,11019417

Certainly one of the most beautiful cycle paths in Germany.

with a view of the Lahn Arche