Brockscheid: Bell casting, the Lieser Path and maars

Brockscheid combines traditional bell casting with the Lieser Path, which passes through the outskirts of the village, and nearby maars. This offers a range of options for planning your trip: you can take an interest in traditional crafts, explore hiking trails or discover the maar landscape. The local cycling connection via the Glockenschleife (Bell Loop) adds a specific option for cyclists.

Bell casting as a living craft

Traditional bell casting has been practised in Brockscheid since 1840. The bell foundry is a visitor attraction where you can observe the craft at close quarters. Arrangements for visits may vary. Alongside the trails and landscape, this makes traditional bell-making a cultural attraction in its own right.

Hiking and maars around Brockscheid

The Lieser Path between Daun and Wittlich passes directly through the outskirts of Brockscheid. Its route follows the deeply incised, partly narrow Lieser Valley; Brockscheid is also associated with medieval history. If you are planning a hike, you can explore the landscape and its historical connections together. Trail conditions may change, so it is advisable to check the latest conditions before setting out.

Several volcanic maars in the area can be circumnavigated. Holzmaar and Dürre Maar are within walking distance. A trail through forest paths leads to Schalkenmehrener Maar, with the walk taking around 45 minutes. Swimming and pedal boating are available there. If these activities are important to your visit, check local conditions in advance, as swimming access and facilities may change.

Cycling connections and trails in the region

Brockscheid is connected to the Maare-Moselle Cycle Route, which runs between Daun and Bernkastel-Kues, via the local Glockenschleife (Bell Loop). This means that, alongside the Lieser Path’s hiking routes, a specific cycling connection is part of the local network. When planning, you can decide whether to focus on this connection or explore other routes in the Volcanic Eifel.

In the Volcanic Eifel, the marked and signposted Volcanic Eifel Trails lead to scenic highlights on both sides of the Eifelsteig. The range includes half-day hikes, full-day hikes and multi-day hikes. One specific example is the 26.2-kilometre Vulcano Trail, a circular route east of Schalkenmehren. The eleventh stage of the Eifelsteig runs from Daun to Manderscheid and is 23.4 kilometres long. The different distances and tour formats help put the region’s hiking options into context without implying that these routes start in Brockscheid.

The Volcanic Eifel also offers a wider regional network for mountain biking: the Trailpark Vulkaneifel has a network of around 750 kilometres of trails and more than 17,500 metres of elevation gain. This figure describes the regional network; Brockscheid’s local connection is the Glockenschleife to the Maare-Moselle Cycle Route.

The Volcanic Eifel: geological and cultural context

So far, 77 maars have been identified in the Volcanic Eifel. In addition, 350 volcanic eruption centres have been counted there, including around 270 from the more recent period. Ulmener Maar marks the most recent volcanic eruption in the Volcanic Eifel, which took place around 10,900 years ago. These figures provide a broader geological context for the maars you can also find around Brockscheid.

The region’s museums offer different ways to explore its volcanology. 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. The Vulkanhaus Strohn is an interactive museum. Its geological exhibits include a lava fissure wall around 30,000 years old, approximately six metres long and four metres high. The exhibitions thus complement the landscape and trails with models, exhibits and a particularly large geological specimen.

Discover more destinations: Deudesfeld, Bleckhausen, Saxler, Strotzbüsch, Steineberg, Oberstadtfeld, Udler, Dreis-Brück

For the overview of the wider region: Daun.