Bassenheim: Hiking Trails, Tree Avenue and the Bassenheim Horseman

Bassenheim combines local history with routes into the countryside: hiking trails and a described cycling tour start in the town, while the church, castle, museum and Walpotplatz each explore different historical themes. This lets you shape your stay around your interests – on foot along a circular trail, by bike towards Mayen, or with time to explore the town’s history.

Hiking Trails and Landscape

The BA1 “Around Bassenheim” hiking trail is a circular route around Bassenheim. It starts at the church in the historic town centre, leads over Schamberg to the barbecue hut, and passes traces of Celtic settlement. The trail thus links a starting point in the town centre with several named stops and a reference to earlier settlement.

The Celtic Trail at the Goloring is an approximately 10.5 km circular hiking trail that starts at Walpotplatz. Both BA1 and the Celtic Trail are described as circular routes, but they differ in their named starting points and the landmarks along the way: the BA1 route includes the church, Schamberg and the barbecue hut, while the Celtic Trail also has an approximate length specified. This gives you a way to compare hiking plans by starting point and route format.

On the way from Bassenheim to Karmelenberg, the tree avenue features some centuries-old trees with unusual shapes. Over the centuries, the avenue has been traversed by groups of pilgrims, processions and walkers. Religious occasions and everyday journeys are therefore both part of its recorded history of use. Karmelenberg is designated a nature reserve.

Bassenheim Park offers a different perspective on the landscape: this approximately 20-hectare English-style landscape park has three large ponds, streams and waterfalls. Public access to the park is restricted. Guided tours of the park are offered by the Bassenheim municipal administration.

Church, Castle and Local History

The Catholic parish church of St Martin in Bassenheim was built between 1899 and 1900. Above the left side altar is an Early Gothic sandstone relief of Saint Martin, known as the “Bassenheim Horseman.” The date of the church’s construction and the relief’s Early Gothic classification represent two distinct historical periods. The exhibits at the Martinus Museum Bassenheim focus on Saint Martin, the Walpots of Bassenheim and the family of the Barons of Oppenheim.

Today’s Bassenheim Castle dates back to the 16th century and was built as a fortification with a moat. Raschdorff restored and redesigned the castle. Other design details at Walpotplatz also recall local history: the square is adorned with basalt sculptures of the Walpot counts and a fountain depicting the history of Bassenheim.

A memorial at Walpotplatz commemorates the meeting between Konrad Adenauer and Robert Schuman at Bassenheim Castle on 18 October 1948. At this meeting, they discussed ways to foster German-French understanding. Walpotplatz thus brings together different forms of remembrance: the sculptures and fountain reflect Bassenheim’s history, while the memorial commemorates a specific event in German-French understanding.

Cycling Towards Mayen

The described tour on the Maifeld Cycle Path runs from Bassenheim to Mayen East Station and is 24.0 km long. From its starting point in Bassenheim, the route passes through a shady green tunnel of cherry trees, oaks and birches. The Maifeld Cycle Path is signposted with its logo. Unlike the circular hiking trails mentioned above, this tour has an expressly named destination: Mayen East Station. When choosing your activities, you can therefore distinguish between circular routes on foot and this cycling tour with its described route.

When considering specific accommodation, check how its location suits the activities that are most important to you during your stay.

Discover More Destinations

Brodenbach, Ditscheid, Kettig, Nachtsheim, Löf, Andernach, Vallendar, Einig

For the higher-level travel overview: Mayen-Koblenz.