Discover Newel

Newel lies in the gentle uplands of the southern Eifel. The landscape is characterized by farmland, extensive meadows, and forests. For a trip focused on hiking and Roman history, the area offers several points of interest: the Pützlöcher, the St. Clemens branch church, and the nearby Butzerbach Valley.

Landscape and Hiking Trails

Newel’s landscape is well suited to hiking. The nearby Butzerbach Valley is home to a Roman copper mine complex and a Roman quarry. Stone from this quarry was used in the Porta Nigra in Trier. The nature and adventure trail in the Butzerbach Valley forms part of the Eifelsteig. This brings together two distinct highlights: the landscape and hiking trail, and the history of Roman mining and quarrying. If you take both into account when planning your trip, you can treat the routes and historic sites as separate focal points.

Roman Traces at the Pützlöcher

The Pützlöcher, located within the municipality of Newel, are a Roman copper mine and a Roman quarry. They were in use from the second half of the 2nd century until the end of the 3rd century. This period helps place the site’s former use in its historical context. The Eifelsteig’s Stage 15 and the approximately nine-kilometre premium circular Römerpfad trail run through the area around the Pützlöcher. The Römerpfad begins either at the car park below Ramstein Castle ruins in Kordel or on Ramsteiner Weg in Butzweiler; the latter starting point is closer to the Pützlöcher. Check the current route and access conditions before your visit: routes and access points may change, and conditions for accessing the Pützlöcher may vary.

Church and Long Wall

The small St. Clemens branch church is a post-Baroque hall church dating from 1806; it has a walled churchyard. The construction date provides a clear historical reference, while the churchyard is another architectural feature of the church. The reconstructed Roman Long Wall stands near Butzweiler. Originally, it was 72 kilometres long, 80 centimetres thick, and two metres high. These three measurements give a concrete sense of the scale of this structure and put it in a different context from the individual church building.

The Wider Region: Trier-Saarburg

The wider travel destination of Trier-Saarburg adds a regional cycling and hiking perspective. Trier-Land has a well-developed network of cycling and hiking trails. The Kyll Valley Cycle Path runs from the Eifel to the Moselle through meadows, forests, and river meadows. These regional trails complement the specific hiking options in Newel and the Butzerbach Valley. When planning your trip, you can therefore decide whether to focus your stay on local historic sites and hiking trails or to include the regional trail network as well.

Discover more destinations: Zemmer, Föhren, Schoden, Reinsfeld, Merzkirchen, Grimburg, Mehring, Igel

Return to the wider travel overview: Trier-Saarburg.