Land of volcanoes

The visitor's magnet with its detailed geological phenomena around volcanism.

Powerful natural forces created these unique natural beauties. The "eyes of the Eifel", as they are commonly known, shimmer deep blue and captivate their visitors.

A special geological highlight is the Windsborn crater lake which is part of the Mosenberg volcano group. It was wrongly referred to as Maar in the past but today it is clear that its origin was different.

The spa town of Manderscheid is most famous for two medieval castle ruins that stand directly opposite each other on steep mountain spurs not far from the town's alleyways. The massive complexes are separated only by the little Lieser river and a meadow, which in summer becomes a perfect place for a breather while hiking the Eifelsteig trail or for a family picnic with children. On a weekend in August, however, the castles and the meadow are ideal settings for a spectacular festival with quaint crafts, jugglers, jousting tournaments and minstrel singing. In Advent, the Manderscheid Castle Christmas lends the town a special magic. The freely accessible upper castle with its five-storey keep still looks martial today. The lower castle can be explored on guided tours - even at night - or on your own; it only remains closed in bad weather.

Underground connection between two Eifel maars: The Ulmen maar-tunnel

During the Middle Ages, Schloss Bürresheim palace was actually a castle, in other words, a knight’s residence and a fortress at the same time.

High towers, picturesque oriels, protective walls and a deep castle moat amaze visitors when the well-preserved medieval castle appears out of nowhere on one of the hiking trails - e.g. the award-winning dream trail "Eltzer Burgpanorama". The interior holds some well-preserved treasures: the imposing knights' hall, the armoury and treasure chamber or the bedrooms, living rooms and writing rooms. All this can be experienced on a guided tour between April and November.

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.

With around 3.3 km² and a depth of 53 m, Laacher See is the largest lake in Rhineland-Palatinate. The area around the lake has been a nature reserve for almost 80 years. The last eruption of the former “Laacher volcano” occurred around 10,930 BC. B.C., about 13,000 years ago. Traces of volcanic activity can still be found in the form of volcanic outgassing, the so-called mofettes, on the eastern shore of the lake. The total ejection quantity of the outbreak at that time was about 16 km³. The eruption was one and a half times as strong as that of Pinatubo in 1991, or 6 times as strong as the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980. Although Laacher See is widely regarded as the largest maar in the Vulkaneifel, it is scientifically not a maar and also not a real crater lake, but a water-filled caldera - a burglary crater that resulted from a collapse after the magma chamber was emptied below the volcanic cone. The volcanic mountain collapses and only the ring bead on the outer edge remains. Over time, the remaining boiler fills up with water. The Laacher See is in the Eifel, next to the neighboring Wehrer Kessel, the largest caldera and the only water-filled one in Central Europe.

The Kaiser-Wilhelm-Turm was erected on the mountain Hohe Acht, at an altitude of 747 metres.

Original settings of the Eifel crime novels, renovated town centre, well-preserved and accessible town wall, barefoot path

A seemingly peaceful fountain awakens, begins to bubbling. Suddenly, a fountain of 9 ° C of cold water shoots into the sky, for six minutes it bubbles up. The haunted by, the "Brubbel" like the locals call their phenomenon affectionate, is just as flashy.