Bleckhausen: St. Anthony’s Church and the Wacholder-Kyll Trail

Bleckhausen is located in the heart of the Vulkaneifel Nature and Geopark. In the town centre stands St. Anthony’s Church, dating from 1787. The annual pilgrimage to Klausen and the Wacholder-Kyll Trail add religious tradition and hiking scenery to the area.

Church and local history

St. Anthony’s is a hall church, built in 1787 and enlarged in 1846. The tower and side extensions were added after 1945. The peal consists of six bells, two of which date from 1394. They are considered the oldest ribbed bronze bells in the Eifel in the Diocese of Trier. Gillenfeld also has a bell from the same year. The bells’ history thus reaches much further back than the history of the church building.

Other buildings also contribute to the town’s history. The former schoolhouse at Brunnenstraße 5a is a partly slate-clad building with a hipped roof and is thought to date from 1843. Opposite Brunnenstraße 2a stands a well house, probably dating from the 19th century. At the intersection of Hauptstraße and Auf der Held is a sandstone shaft cross dated 1810. Southwest of Bleckhausen, on the Kleine Kyll, lies Bleckhausen Mill, a grain mill dating from 1799.

The annual pilgrimage to Klausen is one of Bleckhausen’s long-standing religious traditions. It adds a distinct religious focal point to the town’s architectural history.

Hiking around Bleckhausen

The HeimatSpur Wacholder-Kyll Trail starts and ends at the church in Bleckhausen. From the town centre, the trail runs mainly through woodland, including the Wacholderheide protected area. At Fuchskopf there is a viewpoint overlooking the Kleine Kyll valley. At a rest area, carved wooden animals introduce visitors to the local fauna. The viewpoint and animal figures offer different highlights: one draws attention to the valley, the other to the wildlife.

A route from Bleckhausen passes through the nearby Wacholder protected area and a section of the Trombachtal; it also crosses meadows and fields on the way back to the starting point. For the Wacholder-Kyll Trail, parking is available at the church or at the hiking car park on the L46 at the exit from town towards Manderscheid. Check the latest trail and parking information before setting out, as access details may change.

The Vulkaneifel as a wider region

So far, 77 maars have been identified in the Vulkaneifel. In addition, 350 eruption centres have been counted there, about 270 of them from the more recent phase. The Ulmen Maar marks the most recent volcanic eruption in the Vulkaneifel, which took place around 10,900 years ago. The Vulkaneifel trails are also part of the region’s hiking offer: they lead to scenic highlights on either side of the Eifelsteig and are marked and signposted. The selection includes half-day hikes, day hikes and multi-day hikes.

Plan your accommodation

Holiday homes and holiday apartments are available in Bleckhausen. Check current listings before travelling, as availability may change.

Discover more destinations: Brockscheid, Schalkenmehren, Dreis-Brück, Udler, Hinterweiler, Nohn, Mückeln, Üdersdorf.

For the main travel overview: Daun.