Stipshausen: Church, Agate Windows and Idarkopf Tower

Stipshausen can be explored through two distinct visitor interests: the Protestant church in the village and the Idarkopf Tower near Stipshausen. One offers insights into architectural and art history, while the other leads to a viewpoint reached on foot. If you are looking for a hotel in Stipshausen, these attractions can help you decide which interests to prioritize during your stay. When planning a visit to the tower, it is important to remember that you must walk from the parking areas.

Church: Baroque Interior and Agate Windows

The Protestant church was built in 1778–79. Its interior is designed in the rural Baroque style of the Hunsrück; paintings adorn the altar, ceiling and gallery. Here, you can see several elements of a cohesive interior design, rather than just a single feature. The church also has a Stumm organ, which was inaugurated in 1861. The construction period and the organ’s history provide two different points of reference in time for your visit.

Two more recent features are windows created in 2014 by gemstone artists Bernd and Tom Munsteiner. Both are made entirely of agate and are considered the only windows in the world made wholly from this material. The windows add a distinctive work of 21st-century art to the church’s older architectural and decorative history. If you are interested in craftsmanship and the use of materials, you can take in both the historic interior and the unique treatment of agate at the church.

Idarkopf Tower: Reach the Viewpoint on Foot

The Idarkopf Tower is 31.1 metres high, with 170 steps and nine resting platforms. From the top, the view extends across the EdelSteinLand and the Hunsrück heights. The tower cannot be reached by car: from either the Idarwald hiking car park or the Stipse car park near Stipshausen, it is about a two-kilometre walk to the tower. Be sure to allow for the walk when planning your visit. As trail conditions may vary, it is advisable to check access before setting out.

More to Explore in the Wider Birkenfeld Destination

Part of the Hunsrück-Hochwald National Park lies within the Birkenfeld collective municipality, in the wider Birkenfeld destination. The Birkenfeld State Museum has permanent exhibitions on the Celts and Romans; Birkenfeld and the Wittelsbach family; ironworking in the Birkenfeld district; an old classroom from around 1930; and the period of Oldenburg rule. The museum’s range of topics therefore spans early history and rule through to regional working and school history.

The nature attractions in the wider Birkenfeld destination also offer different points of interest. The 1.6-kilometre National Park Island Tour around Börfink and Thranenweier uses information boards to explain rare and endangered arnica meadows, their origins, conservation and biodiversity. The “In the Land of Kites, Storks and More” nature trail has 18 stops around Niederhambach, Schmißberg and Rimsberg. Near Schmißberg, it includes an aviary with the stork pair Lotte and Bernie, as well as information about the habitats of red kites, black storks and other species. Together, a tour focused on arnica meadows and a multi-stop trail about habitats offer two different ways to explore nature.

Other attractions in the wider Birkenfeld destination add culture and waterways to this selection. The 2.5-kilometre Götterallee (Avenue of the Gods) between Schwollen and Leisel features ten life-size, colourful figures of gods. The Obere Nahe Water Experience Trail in Hoppstädten-Weiersbach is one kilometre long and has four access points. Its topics include aquatic life in the Upper Nahe, such as barbel and gudgeon, as well as waterbirds such as kingfishers and dippers, and dragonflies such as the common demoiselle and river demoiselle. You can take these different attractions into account when planning your stay in the Birkenfeld destination, alongside the church and viewpoint.

Discover more destinations: Bundenbach, Sulzbach / Hunsrück, Schwollen, Abentheuer, Weiden, Regulshausen, Hattgenstein, Fischbach.

Go to the wider travel overview: Birkenfeld.