Willwerath: Hiking Trail, Reservoir and Local History

Willwerath brings together the Weinsheim Hiking Trail and the reservoir with local architectural history and recurring traditions. The Prüm flows through almost the entire village; the Hardt forest borders Willwerath on the hillside. This gives you several options when planning your trip: a route with numbered sections, a body of water with a fishing tradition, and places that tell the story of the village.

Hiking Through Varied Landscapes

The Weinsheim Hiking Trail is a 12.8-kilometre circular route of easy to moderate difficulty. It connects Weinsheim, Gondelsheim, Willwerath and Hermespand. Two shorter sections pass through Willwerath: 3.8 kilometres between Gondelsheim and Willwerath, and 2.2 kilometres between Willwerath and Hermespand. You can therefore choose between the full loop and the shorter connecting routes. The easy-to-moderate rating applies to the circular route.

Along the way, the route passes through mixed forest and open stands of beech and oak, across fields and meadows, and along the floodplains of the Prüm and Mühlbach. It also includes a detour to the “Eifelblick” observation tower on the Hardt and a crossing of the Niesenberg nature reserve. The landscape therefore alternates between forest, open areas and floodplains, while the observation tower and nature reserve are additional specific points along the route.

The Reservoir and Its Fishing Tradition

Willwerath Reservoir has a water surface of 1.62 hectares. Since 1971, it has been the fishing waters of the Prüm 1967 e.V. angling club. Pike, zander, perch and eels are found in the reservoir; original Eifel brook trout are also stocked. Coarse-fish anglers can fish for mirror carp and common carp there.

To reach the “Ostufer” car park by the Anglerklause, use Willwerath as your access point: turn into “Im Auelsecken” and follow the signs from there. This makes it easy to plan your route to the car park.

St. Lambertus and Willwerath Mill

The present-day St. Lambertus Church was built in 1869 as a post-Baroque hall church with a roof turret; the year 1869 is also marked on the building. The church was handed over for religious use in 1904. The church interior includes a small Rococo altar from the parish church in Nussbaum, which was restored in the 1980s. The construction date, later handover and the altar’s origins offer different insights into the history of the local church.

Another historic site is Willwerath Mill on the Mühlbach, a grain and sawmill. Together with the church, it illustrates two different aspects of the village: ecclesiastical architectural history and a mill that combined milling and sawing.

Local Traditions and Event Dates

For many decades, the fire brigade and the young bachelors of Willwerath have erected the Maypole on Walpurgis Night. The annual “Lustiges Prümtal” cycling Sunday takes place on the first weekend in September, with the fire brigade providing refreshments. The fire brigade also holds a summer festival at the village community centre every two years. If you would like to plan your trip around one of these events, check the local dates.

Discover more destinations: Obermehlen, Pronsfeld, Auw, Fleringen, Olzheim, Bleialf, Kleinlangenfeld, Feuerscheid

View the overview of the wider area: Prüm.