Bleialf – Mining History and Cycling Route

Bleialf brings together several themes for your stay: traces of lead and copper mining, a visitor mine, a cycling route, and the local Burgbrennen tradition. If you’re looking for a hotel in Bleialf, these different highlights can help you choose your destination: Would you like to learn more about mining, go cycling, or discover a local tradition?

Mining History in Bleialf

Bleialf was first mentioned in official records in 893, in the Prüm Urbar. Lead and copper mining ended in 1954, but its traces are still clearly visible in Bleialf. The old Mühlenberger Tunnel of the Neue Hoffnung lead mine, near the Heinzkyller Mill, was opened to the public in 1986/87 as an accessible section of the visitor mine.

The few remaining sites from the region’s long tradition of lead ore mining are connected by a geological and mining-history educational hiking trail. This offers two different ways to explore the subject: a guided tour leads into the tunnel, while the trail connects the remaining mining sites.

The Mühlenberger Tunnel visitor mine is open on Sundays from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.; the last tour starts at 4:15 p.m. Check these times again before your visit so you can factor it into your plans.

Cycling Route and Local Traditions

The Eifel-Ardennes Cycle Route runs for almost 40 kilometers from Prüm to St. Vith in Belgium and passes directly through Bleialf. This route offers a different perspective on the destination than a visit to the tunnel or the educational hiking trail. Bleialf lies along a cycling route whose endpoints are in Prüm and St. Vith.

Burgbrennen is also part of local tradition. The Burg Sunday celebration, when the custom takes place in Bleialf, is held on the first Sunday after Carnival and is also called “Sheep Sunday.” On September 20, 2026, “castles” for the Burgbrennen celebration were being built at three locations in the municipality of Bleialf.

For several years, another Bleialf tradition has been for the most recently married couple to make pancakes and serve them at their home. Together with Burgbrennen, this tradition offers another local perspective on a visit; it differs from the historical focus on mining.

More Things to Explore in the Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm

The Mühlenberger Stollen Bleialf visitor mine is also part of the wider Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm destination. One-hour guided tours are offered there, introducing visitors to ore mining in Bleialf, from geology to applied technology.

Other places to explore in the Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm include the Devonium in Waxweiler and the Westwall Museum. The Devonium introduces visitors to complex concepts in paleontology and the science of fossil life in an engaging way. The Westwall Museum is housed across three accessible levels of a bunker and features a military history exhibition in underground corridors and rooms. These regional topics focus on different aspects than Bleialf’s mining history.

Discover more destinations: Obermehlen, Orlenbach, Brandscheid, Buchet, Großlangenfeld, Pittenbach, Oberlascheid, Feuerscheid.

Back to the main travel overview: Prüm.