Wanderreise 23: Eifelsteig in kurzen Etappen Gerolstein - Manderscheid

The rocks “Hustley”, “Munterley”, “Drohende Ley”, “Große Kanzel” and “Auberg” shape the cityscape from afar and form Gerolstein’s landmark. The most famous peak of the Gerolstein Dolomites is the "Munterley" - with an altitude of 482 meters.

The Helenenquelle on the Kyll Cycle Path near Gerolstein Town Hall is a popular resting place for cyclists and hikers. The fresh mineral water comes from a depth of approx. 90 m and can be drunk free of charge from April-October from the brass tap. Here it is worth taking a break and the park is ideal for a small picnic in nature.  

About 2500 years ago there was a Celtic urbanisation with pastures on the Dietzenley. The Celtic urbanisation was protected by ring walls of up to 9 meters high and 4 meters wide against attacks.During the volcanic activity around 600.000 years ago, the area around the Dietzenley was covered with volcanic rocks. These rocks are used by the Celtics to build the ring walls.

 In this museum the home work, manufacturing and distribution system for iron wire mesh ware from Neroth in the 19th Century is exhibited.

also called Totenmaar [maar of the dead] The Weinfelder Maar is considered the "symbol of the Eifel melancholy". Gentle slopes, on which the Eifel gold - popularly known as "Besenginster"grows and shines in early summer, around the mostly turquoise shimmering water.

Especially if you visit the GesundLand Vulkaneifel in summer, a detour to the Schalkenmehren Maar is a must. Located directly at the village of the same name and opposite the Weinfelder Maar, the Schalkenmehrener Maar is one of the three Dauner Maars and offers a wonderful backdrop for an extended walk or an extensive hike. If you look closely, you can see that the Schalkenmehren Maar was once a double maar, formed by volcanic activity around 20,000 to 30,000 years ago. But the tuffs of the western maar filled up the eastern maar funnel, so that nothing can be seen of the second maar today, except for the fen vegetation that has spread in this area. Take a little discovery tour and observe numerous animal and plant species along the way!

Climb the 11m high "Dronketurm" on the Mäuseberg near the "Weinfeld Maar" and enjoy an incredible panoramic view over the GesundLand Vulkaneifel around Daun.

Less of an excursion destination than a spectacular site is the Eckfelder Maar in a side valley of the Lieser about 2 km north of Manderscheid.

The spa town of Manderscheid is most famous for two medieval castle ruins that stand directly opposite each other on steep mountain spurs not far from the town's alleyways. The massive complexes are separated only by the little Lieser river and a meadow, which in summer becomes a perfect place for a breather while hiking the Eifelsteig trail or for a family picnic with children. On a weekend in August, however, the castles and the meadow are ideal settings for a spectacular festival with quaint crafts, jugglers, jousting tournaments and minstrel singing. In Advent, the Manderscheid Castle Christmas lends the town a special magic. The freely accessible upper castle with its five-storey keep still looks martial today. The lower castle can be explored on guided tours - even at night - or on your own; it only remains closed in bad weather.

Best non-alpine via ferrata in Germany!