Discover Bodenbach: Roman Site, Drees Spring and Historic Routes

A trip to Bodenbach is shaped above all by its archaeological and ecclesiastical history, as well as the geology around the Bodenbach Drees spring. Those looking for a hotel for their stay can plan their trip according to whether they are most interested in Roman traces, historic places of worship or the spring and its geological explanations. The following places offer practical guidance.

Roman traces and historic routes

The Roman Villa Bodenbach is an archaeological site whose use changed significantly: a civilian farmstead in the 1st century AD became a military fortification in the 3rd century. Reconstructed outlines and information panels present the site as an open-air museum in the landscape. The change from civilian to military use is central to the site’s history and gives visitors a clear sense of its chronology.

The Catholic church in Bodenbach is a Neoclassical hall church, dating to 1829; it was extended and raised in 1950. Two places of worship add their own dimensions to this architectural history. The Way of the Seven Sorrows of Mary lies south of Bodenbach. Its shrine-like stations were endowed in 1816 and renovated in 1916. Seven wayside crosses on Kollengasse, in the direction of Bongard, were erected in 1816 and restored in 1916 and 1999. Comparing the dates reveals two different histories: the foundation of the Way of the Stations was followed by a renovation, while the wayside crosses were restored twice later on.

The Bodenbach–Bongard themed route offers another historical perspective: it passes a Roman villa and a Celtic settlement. The route can therefore be seen as a distinct way to explore archaeological themes, alongside the individual buildings and places of worship.

The Bodenbach Drees spring: source and geology

The Bodenbach Drees is a carbonated spring in the valley of the Bongarder Bach. It emerges from Lower Devonian sedimentary rocks. A geological information panel explains the area’s geology, its volcanic past and its mineral composition. The spring offers a look at both the character of the rock and the geological history of the landscape.

Protecting the spring is also part of its history: since 1993, a ring of basalt columns has kept the spring at a lower elevation from being silted up during floods. The protective measure and the geological explanation complement each other, but are not the same information: the panel explains the landscape, while the ring protects the spring from the effects of flooding.

The L70 and L72 roads provide access to the Bodenbach Drees spring. Park on the road between Bodenbach and Borler; from there, follow the sign “Zum Drees” (“To the Drees”). Check road conditions before setting out, as they may change.

Geological context: the Volcanic Eifel

So far, 77 maars have been identified in the Volcanic Eifel. A total of 350 eruption centres have also been counted there, around 270 of them from the more recent phase. Ulmen Maar marks the most recent volcanic eruption in the Volcanic Eifel, which took place around 10,900 years ago. These regional insights complement the local perspective on the carbonated spring and its rocks.

The Eifel Volcano Museum in Daun features three-dimensional landscape models of cinder cones, maars and mineral springs, as well as exhibits on West Eifel volcanism. This gives travellers two ways to explore the geological theme: the spring and its immediate geology at the Bodenbach Drees, and the wider volcanic landscape of the Volcanic Eifel.

Discover more destinations: Kelberg, Stadtkyll, Daun, Kirsbach, Gerolstein, Obere Kyll, Horperath, Hillesheim.

For the overview of the wider region: Volcanic Eifel.