Luxem: Half-timbered architecture, chapel history and village festivals

Luxem combines a rural character with a rich local history and recurring village festivals. A farmstead, a chapel with several construction phases and two regular summer events give your trip different focal points. If you are looking for a hotel in Luxem, you can first consider whether you want to focus mainly on local architectural and church history, village life around a festival, or the character of the Eifel landscape. The following topics outline these possibilities.

Luxem between village history and the Eifel landscape

Luxem lies in the centre of the Vordereifel collective municipality, around 10 kilometres west of Mayen. The municipality, whose character is strongly shaped by agriculture, lies at an elevation of 440 m above sea level amid the Eifel landscape. At Schulstraße 4 is a farmstead, a partly solid half-timbered building dating from the 18th century. At the edge of Luxem, on the road towards Weiler, stands a niche wayside shrine dating from 1680. Finds from Roman times also suggest that Luxem was settled in antiquity. The timeline therefore stretches from Roman-era finds through the 1680 wayside shrine to the 18th-century half-timbered building.

Chapel history and preserved architectural features

The local history of the chapel can be traced through several dates and architectural features. The first chapel in Luxem was built in 1686. During the night of 24 March 1966, a side wall of the old chapel collapsed. The Baroque altar had previously been moved to safety and was reinstalled in the newly built chapel. Windows, doors and parts of the old chapel’s pews were also reused in the new building. The chapel houses a Madonna and Child figure from the early 19th century, as well as Baroque wooden figures of John the Baptist and Saint Roch. A small organ was installed in 1883.

Village festival and fair as seasonal events

The festival dates can also determine when you travel. Luxem’s village festival takes place every year at the end of June in the village community centre. It is organised by the Schützenkapelle, the music association within the village’s largest club, the Schützenverein. The fair takes place on the third weekend of July. If you want to plan your trip around one of the festivals, check the exact date in advance.

Culture in the wider Mayen-Koblenz destination

The wider Mayen-Koblenz destination offers other, distinct cultural attractions. Genovevaburg Castle was built in 1280 by Heinrich von Finstingen, Archbishop of Trier, and is one of Mayen’s landmarks. Sayn Ironworks represents industrial heritage: it is an anchor point on the European Route of Industrial Heritage and the only monument in Rhineland-Palatinate to receive this distinction. Following restoration, modern exhibitions and multimedia displays invite visitors to explore; guided tours and creative workshops are also available. Sayn Abbey offers another historical perspective: it was founded around 1200, and its abbey church was consecrated in 1202. Its exterior paintings, dating from around 1255, are considered the best-preserved examples of their kind from the High Middle Ages in Germany.

Discover more destinations: Langenfeld, Weiler, Anschau.

Back to the main travel overview: Vordereifel.