Hellenthal: Hiking, Mining and Nature

Hellenthal combines hiking, mining history, historic village scenery and nature watching. If you are looking for a hotel in Hellenthal, the focus you want for your stay can help guide your choice: options include marked trails and circular routes, a freely accessible castle complex, a visitor mine, and opportunities to encounter birds of prey and native wildlife.

Hiking and Cycling

More than 220 kilometres of marked hiking trails run through forests, valleys and upland areas within the municipality. The EifelSchleifen offer another option: these circular hiking trails come in varying levels of difficulty. Their circular layout and difficulty provide two practical criteria for planning a tour.

A 13.5-kilometre circular trail around the Olef Lake is suitable for hiking and cycling. The lake serves as a drinking water reservoir, so swimming and water sports are not permitted. The Rur-Olef Route passes through deciduous forests, meadows, fields, rocky stretches and along streams, as well as through open landscapes on the heights of Eifel National Park.

Reifferscheid Castle and Mining History

Reifferscheid Castle comprises castle ruins, an outer bailey and a fortified settlement; the complex is freely accessible. Reifferscheid was first mentioned in a document in 1106. Half-timbered houses and old lanes preserve the village’s medieval character. Here, you can experience both the castle complex and a village shaped by history.

The Wohlfahrt Mine offers a different historical focus: as a visitor mine, it conveys mining history from the late Middle Ages through the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Deep Tunnel and its side tunnels form a visitor mine route stretching around 900 metres. There is also an above-ground mining trail and the EifelSchleife Bergbaupfad (Mining Trail), offering hiking options around the mine. Mining history can therefore be explored both along the tunnel route and on trails in the surrounding area.

The Castles Route begins in Hellenthal below the Olef Dam and continues to the ruins of Reifferscheid and Wildenburg.

Landscape and Wildlife Watching

About 56 hectares within the municipality lie in Eifel National Park. They include beech and oak forests, stream valleys and rocky terrain. The Rur-Olef Route passes through other named landscape types, including meadows, fields and open upland areas. When choosing a route, you can consider the landscape along the way as a focus in addition to the circular layout.

The birds of prey station and wildlife park offer encounters with birds of prey and native wildlife, as well as informative guided tours and flight demonstrations. Another destination is the tower at Weißer Stein: it is 30 metres high, stands at an elevation of 720 metres and is reached via 147 steps. The wildlife attractions and the tower’s precisely stated dimensions offer different highlights for a stay.

Getting Here by Bus

Bus route SB81/829 connects Hellenthal with Kall railway station; the service also runs in the evening. Routes and timetables may change, so check the latest connections before you travel.

Discover more destinations: Wollenberg, Reifferscheid, Udenbreth, Rescheid, Schnorrenberg, Hollerath, Hönningen, Ramscheid, Oberschömbach.

See the wider travel overview: Euskirchen.