Discover Starkenburg: Castle Traces and Trails

Starkenburg lies more than 250 metres above the Moselle, with views stretching across the Moselle Valley. Castle remains, historic buildings and trails give the village a variety of attractions. When choosing a hotel for your trip, you can decide whether to focus primarily on local history, a stage of the Moselsteig Trail or more challenging hiking trails.

Castle and Local History

Remains of Starkenburg Castle have survived. The ARGO app lets you view the castle on site as a life-size, 360-degree augmented-reality reconstruction. Check whether the app is available before your trip. A historical tale links the castle with Countess Loretta: after a boat trip on the river, she forced Elector Baldwin of Luxembourg to remain at the castle. You can also follow in Countess Loretta’s footsteps in Starkenburg.

The old village centre also features a variety of architectural styles. Its historic buildings include vaulted cellars probably dating from the Middle Ages, the Baroque church from 1764, old half-timbered and slate buildings, and historic stone buildings. Together, these details show different aspects of local history, from the probably medieval cellars to the buildings that shape the old village centre.

The Leiermannspfad passes old, still fully functional bakehouses in Starkenburg. On Mill Day, you can enjoy freshly baked bread from the village bakehouse. If you plan your visit around it, check the event dates.

Hiking and Choosing Trails

The thirteenth stage of the Moselsteig Trail runs from Traben-Trarbach via Starkenburg and Enkirch to Reil. Check the latest route information before setting off, as the stage designation may change. This lets you place the route within a named sequence of stages without assuming that the current route is unchanged.

The community centre on Burenstraße may be a possible start and finish point for the Leiermannspfad. Check the trail signs on site. The Zollturm-Steige comprise three connected hiking routes, and Starkenburg is one of their access points. These options therefore call for different kinds of planning: a named Moselsteig stage, a trail with a possible start and finish point, and a network of three connected routes.

The Zollturm-Steige are considered challenging, with many metres of elevation gain and a high proportion of trail sections. Weather and trail maintenance can affect the level of difficulty, so check the latest route information before your hike. According to the route description, the trails are signposted in accordance with hiking-trail marking guidelines. If conditions or the route change, it is also helpful to check the signs on site.

More Things to Do in the Moselle Valley

Mountain biking around Starkenburg is characterised by steep climbs and fast descents. Check conditions on site before setting off. These rides are quite different from the hiking trails described above: climbs and descents define the character of the activity.

A hike from Starkenburg to the Ahringsbachtal may offer the opportunity to see a water-powered grain mill in operation. Check in advance whether the mill is currently working.

In the wider Bernkastel-Wittlich destination

The wider Bernkastel-Wittlich destination brings together the volcanic Eifel, the romantic Moselle Valley, and the Hunsrück, rich in forests and meadows. The 816-metre-high Erbeskopf invites visitors to hike and offers a variety of winter sports.

Discover more destinations: Lötzbeuren, Bad Wildstein, Enkirch, Burg, Wolf, Irmenach

Back to the wider travel overview: Traben-Trarbach.