Bell: Views, hiking and historic traces

Bell combines scenic views and hiking with archaeological sites and the Beller Markt. Tourist attractions include the Bell observation tower and the Saar-Hunsrück-Steig. The burial mounds, the Iron Age burial mound field “Fuchshohl” and the former “Ilse” manganese mine offer further historical perspectives. During your stay, you can choose between outdoor activities, a folk festival and different historical themes. One practical distinction: for the Beller Markt, dates and the program are important when planning your trip; you can prioritize the other themes according to your interests.

Views and hiking

The Bell observation tower stands at an elevation of 463 meters, near the junction from the B 327 toward Buch. From there, you can enjoy magnificent views across the plateau. The tower adds to the range of attractions for hikers and cyclists. The Saar-Hunsrück-Steig is also among Bell’s tourist attractions. This offers different starting points for planning a trip focused on scenic views and hiking.

The Beller Markt

Today, the Beller Markt is a large folk festival with around 400 stalls and fairground rides. It is a major event in its own right, alongside the nature and history attractions. If the market is important to your trip, check the dates and program before you travel. This lets you plan around the event days.

Archaeological traces in Bell

The burial mounds of Bell lie along a signposted circular trail. Check trail conditions before your visit. The Iron Age burial mound field “Fuchshohl” near Bell includes a wagon burial. The burial ground sheds light on the chronological relationship between earlier inhumation burials and later cremation burials in the Younger Hunsrück-Eifel Culture (HEK II). This chronological context gives the site a distinctive historical focus: two different burial practices and their sequence within the culture named above take center stage.

The investigations carried out in 1938 also provide a concrete insight into the area’s archaeological history. During clearance work in the municipal forest in the “Fuchshohl” district, east of the Hunsrückhöhenstraße, 29 burial mounds were investigated. A total of 47 burials were identified, including eight without grave goods. The number of burials in relation to the mounds investigated gives a clear sense of the scale of the findings; the eight burials without grave goods are another specific aspect of the results.

The former “Ilse” manganese mine

The former “Ilse” manganese mine includes a spoil heap and an information panel with detailed information. Unlike the burial grounds, the focus here is on mining. This adds another historical perspective to the archaeological sites: the former extraction of manganese ore. A spoil heap consists of material produced during mining that is not extracted as ore, and thus points to the work once carried out at the mine.

Discover more destinations: Leideneck, Mörsdorf

For the main travel overview: Kastellaun.