Spring Awakening in the Vorgebirge

Spring Awakening — A Different Festival Concept

The Spring Awakening in the Vorgebirge is not a classic town festival: Instead of a large stage with live music, it invites you to a guided bike tour through the agriculturally shaped landscape of the Vorgebirge between Bornheim, Bonn, and Wesseling. The tour also marks a season opening: With the Spring Awakening, the Bornheim asparagus season begins, which has shaped the Vorgebirge for centuries. Bornheim asparagus has been registered as a protected geographical indication throughout the EU since March 2014 — on par with Parmesan cheese or Champagne.

23 km Bike Tour with 8 Stops

The approximately 23 km long tour starts at 11:00 AM at the apiary of the Vorgebirge Beekeepers Association (Keimerstraße, Bornheim-Kardorf) and leads through 8 stops:

1. Vorgebirge Beekeepers Association (Kardorf) — Bee exhibition, honey tasting, information on wildflowers, children's craft stations
2. Kunsthof Merten — Artist studios with painting and sculpture
3. Schmitz-Hübsch Fruit Farm (Merten) — Fruit plantation with tractor tours, fruit ice cream, and agricultural history museum
4. Hau Garden Nursery (Walberberg) — Garden center with advice on herbs and fruit cultivation
5. Norbert Wirtz Agricultural Trade (Sechtem) — Seed selection, brewery demonstrations
6. Steiger Vegetable Farm Shop (Waldorf) — Direct sales of vegetables and asparagus
7. Bursch Organic Farm (Waldorf) — Organic farm with farm shop, farm kitchen, and products from its own production
8. Jakob Antwerpen Wine Merchants (Hersel) — Wine tasting and sales

Accompanying Program by ADFC

The ADFC (General German Bicycle Club) accompanies the tour with additional offers: Bike handling skills course, safety training for children, bike registration for theft protection. Police stations with bicycle safety information, local food trucks, and fire department presentations complete the experience. All participating farms offer farm sales and tastings between 11 AM and 5 PM.

Bornheim Spring and Asparagus Weeks

The Spring Awakening is part of the Bornheim Spring and Asparagus Weeks — a multi-week season opening where Bornheim celebrates its agricultural identity. There are guided bike and walking tours, farm tours, culinary experiences with a focus on asparagus, and cultural events. Bornheim thus positions itself as a region of enjoyment between Bonn and Cologne.

Bornheim and the Rhein-Sieg District

Bornheim is a medium-sized town in the Rhein-Sieg district with about 47,000 inhabitants, located on the Vorgebirge west of Bonn. The agricultural tradition — especially asparagus, fruit, and vegetables — shapes its identity. Bornheim consists of 14 districts; the Spring Awakening tour touches Kardorf, Merten, Walberberg, Sechtem, Waldorf, and Hersel.