Strickscheid: Eifel history and viaduct on the high plateau

Strickscheid lies on an open high plateau and is considered a beautiful Eifel village. About one kilometre east of the village, the access route passes through a narrow valley. The setting on the plateau and this distinctive approach are both useful landmarks for orientation.

Settlement history and ecclesiastical affiliation

Settlement remains and burial mounds attest to prehistoric and Roman settlement in Strickscheid. The village was probably founded during the late medieval period of land clearance in the 12th or 13th century. This date remains an estimate.

The village’s ecclesiastical history can also be placed in context using specific dates: until 1788, Strickscheid belonged ecclesiastically to the old parish of Pronsfeld. In 1808, it was assigned to the newly established independent parish of Lünebach. These two dates mark different stages in its ecclesiastical affiliation.

Viaduct and railway history

A striking landmark in Strickscheid is the railway viaduct, built in 1907, with its five arches. The surviving viaduct is used as a walking and cycling path. Its five arches and the year it was built give the structure a clear historical connection; today, it also serves as a route for walks and bike rides.

Until the 1960s, Strickscheid had a railway connection from Pronsfeld via Arzfeld to Neuerburg. This former connection is part of the village’s transport history. The viaduct is also notable as a surviving structure with a present-day use.

Cycling between regional routes and Eifel trails

The Enz Cycle Path runs from Pronsfeld to Holsthum, is 46.6 kilometres long and is considered easy. It follows the river through quiet valleys, idyllic villages and historic landscapes between the Islek uplands and the Prümtal valley.

In general, cycle paths on former railway lines in the Eifel have gradients of less than 2.5 percent and are almost entirely paved. Individual sections may differ. This general information about former railway routes should be distinguished from the specific details about the Enz Cycle Path.

In nearby Pronsfeld, the Railway Museum presents the history of the railway in Pronsfeld since 1886. The former station grounds are freely accessible. The museum and the station grounds offer different ways to engage with railway history: one through the history it presents, the other as an accessible former railway site.

More places of interest in the Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm

The Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm also offers destinations with a range of historical and scientific focuses. At the Mühlenberger Stollen visitor mine in Bleialf, there is a mining trail with numerous information boards about the area’s mining history, as well as one-hour guided tours through the tunnel. Visitors learn about ore mining in Bleialf, from geology to applied technology. In Waxweiler, the Devonium presents complex concepts in palaeontology and the science of fossil life in a playful way.

The Westwall Museum is housed across three accessible floors of a bunker. Its underground corridors and rooms feature a military history exhibition. In Rittersdorf stands a moated castle about 700 years old, which has remained almost unchanged since it was built and offers an impressive picture of late medieval and early modern Renaissance domestic culture. The castle also has a privately run restaurant serving fine country cuisine.

For specific visiting dates, check access to the former station grounds, seasonal operating information for the visitor mine, and the restaurant’s opening status in Rittersdorf.

Discover more destinations: Eilscheid, Lambertsberg, Plütscheid, Neurath, Daleiden, Kinzenburg, Großkampenberg, Lauperath

For the main travel overview: Arzfeld.