Klosterkumbd: The Klingelfloß Route and Monastery History

Klosterkumbd combines a tranquil landscape shaped by fields and woodland with a monastery history closely connected to the town. The Kondbach stream flows through Klosterkumbd; expansive fields and quiet patches of woodland define the landscape. When planning your trip, you can focus on two different things: the Klingelfloß Route as an excursion into the countryside, or the historic traces of the former Cistercian nunnery. This means you can choose a hotel based on whether you see Klosterkumbd primarily as a starting point for a hike or as a destination for a visit focused on local history.

Meadows, Woodland and the Klingelfloß Route

The Klingelfloß Trail is approximately 8 km long and is rated as an easier, family-friendly hike. Its route passes natural meadows, paths and unpaved tracks, then continues through the Klosterkumbd State Forest. The landscape alternates between open stretches and woodland; the forest is not just a backdrop, but part of the route. At the Klingelfloß pond is a former forestry workers’ hut. Hunters and forestry workers once used it for shelter in bad weather. This stop adds a tangible example of the area’s former use to the views of fields and woodland. The route starts at the Hotel Birkenhof in Klosterkumbd and ends at the Landgasthof Gesellschaftsmühle in Laubach. The start and finish are therefore in different places; bear this in mind when planning the hike as part of your stay.

Monastery History Along the Way

Klosterkumbd’s history is closely connected to a former Cistercian nunnery, once the spiritual center of the region. The nunnery was founded in Kumbd shortly after 1183 and populated by nuns from Aulhausen in the Rheingau. In 1196, Archbishop Konrad of Mainz confirmed its foundation. After the death of the last abbess, the nunnery was dissolved in 1573. This timeline spans its foundation and confirmation through to the end of the monastic community. The Klingelfloß Route passes the remains of the former nunnery in today’s Kloster district. At the old monastery cemetery, information panels explain Klosterkumbd’s 1,000-year history.

The Wider Rhein-Hunsrück Region

The wider travel destination of Rhein-Hunsrück opens up a view of a much larger landscape. The Rhein-Hunsrück district encompasses extensive areas of the Hunsrück, part of the Rhenish Slate Mountains, and the part of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley on the left bank of the Rhine. The district also includes parts of the Hunsrück plateau and quartzite ridges to the south, such as the Soonwald; in the Middle Rhine Valley, the Rhine forms the district’s eastern boundary. The local landscape of the Kondbach, fields and woodland thus contrasts with regional variety stretching from the Hunsrück to the Rhine. Parts of the Hunsrück-Mittelrhein municipal association and the town of Boppard in the Rhein-Hunsrück district are part of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site, which was recognized in 2002. These World Heritage areas concern the named subregions and add another regional perspective to Klosterkumbd’s own monastery history.

Discover more destinations: Gondershausen, Hollnich, Niederweiler, Niederkumbd, Lautzenhausen, Heyweiler, Erbach, Oberwesel.

For the wider travel overview: Rhein-Hunsrück.