What volcanic phenomena are there in the Eifel?

The volcanic crater Arensberg (also called Arnulphusberg).

a dry maar full of sedges, mosses & cotton grasses

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.

About 150 years ago in the " Ettringer Lay " ( Lay= stone quarry ) the deepest stone beeches around the Bellerberg volcano were formed. Not without danger the mighty stone columns of its western lava flow were broken here in order to extract building material or paving stones from it . Today a signposted trail lead direct to the lava flow.

The Hetsche maar is the smallest mar in the Eifel and about 40.000 - 70.000 years old.

The Kottenheimer Winfeld is a former quarry area in the area of the municipality of Kottenheim and owes its origin to the eruption of the Bellerberg volcano about 200,000 years ago. Today, the idyllic pit landscape with its bizarre rock formations and relics from bygone times, such as crane bases and pit cranes, is part of the volcano park as a landscape monument.

There are many steps leading deep down below the town of Mendig: Here in the lava cellars, in the middle of the cooled volcanic rock, it is consistently cold even in the hottest summers, there is a mysterious dim light, there is the smell of moisture. Up to 28 Mendig breweries used the 32-metre-high, cathedral-like halls in the basalt rock to store fresh beer. Mighty pillars, left standing during centuries of basalt and lava mining, support the gigantic cellars. A guided tour through the cellars is an unforgettable aha experience. The Vulkan Brewery in Mendig, which is located above the cellars, still uses this unique cold storage facility today. The Lava Dome as a multimedia museum shows many more exciting facets of volcanism.

Mosbrucher Pond The Mosbrucher pond is framed by agriculturally used area of the neighbouring communities. In the areas of undisturbed marshland development, the peat thickness is up to 6 metres, on top of which a varied mosaic of different marshland communities can be found.