Bundenbach: Slate, Celts and the Hahnenbach Valley

Bundenbach brings together the history of slate mining in the Hunsrück with the Celtic heritage of Altburg. The Hahnenbachtal Trail offers a different focus: this premium hiking trail leads through the Hunsrück cultural landscape and passes several cultural sites. When planning your trip and accommodation, you can first consider whether you mainly want to explore historic places or make the hike the focus of your visit. Find other distinct cultural and nature topics in the wider destination of Birkenfeld.

Slate mining as a historical focus

Bundenbach is a historic centre of slate mining in the Hunsrück. Mining took place from the early Middle Ages until the 1960s, with a total of 32 mines in operation. Bundenbach is also on the Hunsrück Slate and Castle Road and is regarded as its centre. The Herrenberg visitor mine and the adjoining Fossil Museum explore the history of slate mining and the region’s fossils, which are around 400 million years old. The visitor mine is closed until further notice; check its status again before your trip.

Altburg: Celtic heritage and guided visits

The Altburg open-air museum features reconstructed houses on the site of a Celtic hillfort that was in use from the 3rd to the 1st century BC. The reconstructed houses and the site’s long period of use give it a clear historical setting. Altburg can only be visited on a guided tour. Tours start about 400 metres away, at the Herrenberg visitor mine or the Hunsrück Fossil Museum. Access by guided tour is therefore an important part of planning your visit.

The Hahnenbachtal Trail: hiking through the cultural landscape

The Hahnenbachtal Dream Loop is a premium hiking trail in the Hahnenbach Valley near Bundenbach, Woppenroth and Schneppenbach. It leads through the Hunsrück cultural landscape and past the Fossil Museum, the Herrenberg visitor mine and the reconstructed Altburg. In 2012, it received the award “Germany’s Most Beautiful Hiking Trail.” Although the route passes Altburg, the site itself can only be visited as part of a guided tour. The hike through the cultural landscape and the guided visit to the reconstructed houses are therefore quite different experiences.

More experiences in the wider destination of Birkenfeld

The Birkenfeld State Museum in the wider destination of Birkenfeld offers more historical topics. Its permanent exhibitions cover Celts and Romans; Birkenfeld and the Wittelsbachs; ironworking in the Birkenfeld district; an old classroom from around 1930; and the Oldenburg period. The exhibits thus span antiquity as well as regional everyday and industrial history.

There are also distinctive outdoor destinations: The 2.5-kilometre Götterallee between the local municipalities of Schwollen and Leisel features ten colourful, life-size statues of gods. The Obere Nahe Water Discovery Trail in Hoppstädten-Weiersbach is one kilometre long and has four access points. It explores the diversity of aquatic life in the Upper Nahe, including barbel and gudgeon, as well as kingfishers, dippers and dragonfly species such as the common damselfly and river clubtail.

Discover more destinations: Neubrücke, Herrstein, Heimbach, Frauenberg, Regulshausen, Sonnschied, Sonnenberg-Winnenberg, Oberhambach

Back to the wider travel guide: Birkenfeld.