Eschfeld: Bunker Wall Stations of the Cross and St. Lucia
Accommodation in Eschfeld
The Bunker Wall Stations of the Cross and St. Lucia Parish Church give Eschfeld a clearly defined cultural and historical profile: the focus here is on its origins in a former Westwall bunker, church art, and the memory of the painter-pastor Christoph März. If you are looking for a hotel in Eschfeld, this theme offers a specific point of reference when choosing your destination.
Bunker Wall Stations of the Cross: Origins and Prayer
The Bunker Wall Stations of the Cross were created in a former Westwall bunker and comprise 15 stations. They were inaugurated on Palm Sunday, April 12, 1992. This place thus brings together the historical origins and religious design of the Stations of the Cross.
Prayer services for parishioners of the pastoral unit are held repeatedly at the Bunker Wall Stations of the Cross. Many visitors from near and far spend some time there. These recurring prayers and visitors’ time there reflect a religious use of the site alongside the history of the former bunker.
St. Lucia Parish Church: Paintings and Furnishings
St. Lucia Parish Church in Eschfeld is listed in the Directory of Cultural Monuments of the Eifelkreis Bitburg-PrĂĽm (as of June 2022). Around 15 slate grave crosses from the 19th century stand in the churchyard. A pre-Romanesque baptismal font is also said to be located there.
More than 1,000 people and animals are depicted inside the church. The paintings were created by the painter-pastor and priest Christoph März between 1906 and 1921. The church furnishings also include an 18th-century monstrance containing relics of the other patron saints: Margaret, Stephen, Ulrich, and Rochus.
Guided tours of the church are available by prior arrangement. Before your trip, check whether a tour is available on your chosen date.
The Father März Memorial on the Church Square
The Father März Memorial was inaugurated on June 9, 2019, on the church square in Eschfeld. The sculptor and artist Peter Weiland from Irrhausen created the sandstone sculpture. It depicts the painter-pastor with a brush and palette on a plinth with artfully designed inscriptions. While the paintings in St. Lucia are the work of Christoph März, the memorial portrays him himself.
More Cultural Sites in the Eifelkreis Bitburg-PrĂĽm Destination
Other cultural sites in the wider Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm destination offer different points of interest. The Mühlenberger Stollen Bleialf visitor mine has a mining trail with numerous information panels about the area’s mining history. One-hour guided tours through the tunnels explore ore mining in Bleialf, from geology to applied technology. Check the tour dates in advance. The Devonium in Waxweiler presents complex concepts in paleontology and the science of fossil life in a playful way.
The Westwall Museum is housed on three accessible levels of a bunker and features a military history exhibition in underground passages and rooms. The approximately 700-year-old Rittersdorf Water Castle offers a different perspective on history: it has been preserved almost unchanged since it was built and provides an impressive picture of late medieval and Renaissance residential culture. The castle has a privately run restaurant serving fine country cuisine; check whether the restaurant is open before your visit.
The Eifelkreis’s themes range from mining and fossils to military history and castle culture. Eschfeld, by contrast, focuses on the Stations of the Cross, church art, and the work of Christoph März. This comparison can help you put your cultural interests at the heart of your trip planning.
Discover more destinations: Strickscheid, LĂĽtzkampen, Daleiden, Olmscheid, PlĂĽtscheid, Leidenborn, Mauel, GroĂźkampenberg
Back to the wider travel overview: Arzfeld.
