Discover Bickenbach

In Bickenbach, historic buildings and outdoor paths offer different starting points for your trip. The Gehaichnisweg is a circular trail around the village, while St. Stephan’s Church and the Sonntagsmühle focus on architectural history and changing names. You can tailor your stay to the topics that interest you most.

Hiking trails with different highlights

The 10.8-kilometre Gehaichnisweg is a circular trail around Bickenbach, passing the Baybach, Sasselbach and Schnellbach streams. It is considered relatively easy and includes around 180 metres of ascent and descent. The designated starting point is the hiking car park at Bickenbach Cemetery. As trail conditions and local parking arrangements may change, check them before setting out.

The Oberes Baybachtal route offers a different landscape, with woodland alternating with open fields, while sweeping views and places to rest add to the scenery. Small information boards explore the landscape and its history. The route is accessible by public transport; check the current timetable when planning your trip. The contrast between the circular trail, changing landscapes and information boards can help you choose, depending on how you want to balance exercise and points of interest.

Architectural history and mill names

The Catholic parish church of St. Stephan in Bickenbach is a late Baroque hall church built in 1771–1772. Its Neo-Romanesque west tower was added in 1855. The choir contains a crucifix from the 18th century, and the furnishings also include a Marian grotto from the 19th century. The different periods of construction and furnishing make the church a striking example of the village’s history.

The Wendelkreuz stands northwest of Bickenbach: a basalt-lava cross dating from 1702. The Tanzsaal is one of Bickenbach’s listed buildings. This single-storey rendered building, featuring Expressionist motifs, dates from around 1925. The village therefore has both an early 18th-century cross and an early 20th-century building, each representing a different historical style.

The Sonntagsmühle, also known as Strödersmühle, is a large estate in the Bickenbach area with renovated half-timbered buildings, well-kept meadows and a fishpond. The mill is mentioned as early as 1575 in accounting records of the Electorate of Trier’s Boppard district office. Nikolaus Sonntag took it over in 1768, after which it became known as the Sonntagsmühle. When Jakob Ströder moved in in 1826, the name Strödersmühle also came into use. The two names thus tell of different stages in its history.

In the wider Rhein-Hunsrück travel region

The Rhein-Hunsrück district includes large parts of the Hunsrück, which forms part of the Rhenish Massif, as well as the left-bank part of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley. The landscape also includes much of the Hunsrück plateau and quartzite ridges to the south, such as the Soonwald. In the Middle Rhine Valley area, the Rhine forms the district’s eastern boundary.

For longer hikes, the Rhein-Hunsrück district offers numerous trails, including the certified Soonwaldsteig premium hiking trail. The Saar-Hunsrück-Steig crosses the Hunsrück via Kastellaun to the Rhine at Boppard and covers a total of 410 kilometres over 27 stages. Several circular trails between 3 and 14 kilometres long run around the Geierlay Bridge between Mörsdorf and Sosberg, starting and ending at the visitor centre in Mörsdorf. The bridge itself is 360 metres long and 100 metres high. The Geierlay dream trail is 6.6 kilometres long and described as moderately difficult. These regional routes offer different distances and landscapes from the circular trail around Bickenbach.

For families with varied interests, comparing circular trails, landscape experiences and architectural history can make trip planning easier.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Benzweiler, Buchholz, Woppenroth, Budenbach, Reich, Niedert, Wahlenau, Hollnich.

To the main travel overview: Rhein-Hunsrück.