Ellscheid – Mürmes, trails and local history

Ellscheid can be explored from several perspectives: the Mürmes moorland, themed trails and historical landmarks give your stay different points of focus. If you are looking for a hotel in Ellscheid, you can first consider whether you are particularly interested in nature, hiking or local history.

Moorland and habitats

Mürmes lies west of Ellscheid. This nature reserve includes a moor covering around 40 hectares. It is located in a volcanic depression that formed approximately 11,000 years ago. Rare plant species and numerous amphibian and insect species find a habitat there. The area can therefore be viewed from two different perspectives: its geological formation and its present-day habitats.

One access point to the Mürmes circular trail is at the cemetery car park in Ellscheid; after about 800 metres, you reach Mürmes. Stops along the trail cover the Mittelweiher and the habitats of Mürmes. A permanently installed binoculars is provided for viewing the wetland. The route thus combines a specified distance to Mürmes with information about local habitats.

Hiking trails and specific destinations

The Vulcano-Pfad Määrchenroute starts and ends at the Janshen poultry farm on Moselweg in Ellscheid. It leads to Mürmes and the Demerather Drees, a volcanic acidulous spring in the Eifel. The route’s start and end points, along with its named destinations, provide orientation. The Mürmes circular trail, by contrast, focuses on stops about habitats and views of the wetland.

The HeimatSpur Antoniusweg has gentle gradients and is considered suitable for families, Nordic walkers and joggers. The trails can therefore be compared by different features: the Määrchenroute focuses on named destinations, while the Antoniusweg is distinguished by its described elevation profile and suitability for certain groups of users. Which details matter most for planning your trip depends on what you value when hiking.

History in Ellscheid

A village walk presents local stories and the history of the town at 25 stops. This lets you encounter historical themes at several points rather than focusing on a single building. St. Antonius Church also offers a connection to the past: its original building dates from 1772. The statues of the Virgin Mary, Saint Anthony and Saint Lucy inside the church date from the 13th century. The building and the statues thus represent different historical periods.

Celtic burial mounds lie around Ellscheid, with the largest group in Starkenbruch. The burial mounds are clearly visible in the forest and are associated with the Hallstatt-period Eifel-Hunsrück culture. Together, the village walk, St. Antonius Church and the archaeological remains in the surrounding area offer different ways to explore local history: through local stories, a church building and archaeological evidence.

Regional context: the Volcanic Eifel

The regional landscape of the Volcanic Eifel includes maars, volcanic cones, lava flows and mineral springs, as well as hiking trails and geotopes. A total of 77 maars have been identified there to date. In addition, 350 eruption centres have been counted, around 270 of them from the more recent phase. Ulmen Maar marks the most recent volcanic eruption in the Volcanic Eifel, which took place about 10,900 years ago. While Mürmes describes a specific moorland in a volcanic depression, these figures provide a broader geological context for the Volcanic Eifel.

Nature, hiking destinations and local history offer different points of focus for your stay in Ellscheid.

Discover more destinations: Strotzbüsch, Meisburg, Mehren, Mückeln, Bleckhausen, Udler, Oberstadtfeld, Dreis-Brück

For the main travel overview: Daun.