Bleckhausen: Bells, History and Trails through the Juniper Heath

Bleckhausen lies in the heart of the Vulkaneifel Nature and Geopark. In the village center, St. Anthony’s Church, religious traditions and a hiking trail come together. The trail runs mainly through forest and juniper heath. The village’s history can also be seen in several buildings. When planning your trip, you can explore a range of interests: landscapes, hiking trails, bells and historic buildings.

Forest, Juniper Heath and Trails

The HeimatSpur Wacholder-Kyll Trail starts and ends at the church in Bleckhausen. Its route runs mainly through forest and includes the Wacholderheide protected area. At Fuchskopf, a viewpoint overlooks the valley of the Kleine Kyll. A rest area with carved wooden animals introduces visitors to local wildlife. The trail therefore brings together several themes: forest and views alongside an engaging introduction to the region’s wildlife.

A route from Bleckhausen passes through the nearby juniper conservation area, a section of the Trombachtal valley, and meadows and fields on its way back to the starting point. These landscapes offer a different experience from the mainly forested HeimatSpur route. When preparing your hike, you can choose based on the surroundings you prefer. Check route details and parking options for the Wacholder-Kyll Trail before setting out.

Parking for the trail is available at the church or at the hiking car park on the L46 at the edge of the village in the direction of Manderscheid. The church is also the start and end point of the HeimatSpur. This makes it easier to plan your hiking day without assuming a particular walking time or level of difficulty.

St. Anthony’s Church and the Village’s Architectural History

St. Anthony’s Church stands in the village center and dates from 1787. It is described as a hall church; it was extended in 1846, and the tower and side annexes were added after 1945. The peal consists of six bells. Two date from 1394 and are considered the oldest ribbed-bronze bells in the Eifel in the Diocese of Trier, alongside a bell of the same age in Gillenfeld. Bleckhausen’s religious traditions also include the annual pilgrimage to Klausen.

Other buildings add to the picture of the village’s history. Opposite Brunnenstraße 2a stands a well house, probably dating from the 19th century. The former school at Brunnenstraße 5a is a partly slate-clad building with a hipped roof and probably dates from 1843. A sandstone shaft cross at the junction of Hauptstraße and Auf der Held is dated 1810. Southwest of Bleckhausen, on the Kleine Kyll, stands Bleckhausen Mill, a grain mill dating from 1799. The buildings vary in form and age, offering different ways to explore the village’s history.

Accommodation and Trip Planning

Holiday homes and apartments are among the accommodation options in Bleckhausen. Availability can change, so check current listings before your trip. To plan the rest of your visit, start by considering what matters most to you: the Wacholder-Kyll Trail and its forest and viewpoints, the landscape of the Trombachtal valley, or the architectural history around the church and mill. If you are planning a hike, also check the latest route details and parking options.

The Wider Vulkaneifel Destination

The wider Vulkaneifel destination also offers geological and cultural themes to consider when planning your trip. So far, 77 maars have been identified in the Vulkaneifel; 350 eruption centers have also been counted, about 270 of them from the more recent phase. 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 Strohn Volcano House includes, among other things, a lava fissure wall around 30,000 years old, about six meters long and four meters high.

For hikes across the wider area, the Vulkaneifel Trails range from half-day and full-day hikes to multi-day treks; the routes are marked and signposted. These time frames offer a useful guide if you are considering other hikes in the Vulkaneifel destination in addition to local trails. Bleckhausen’s own highlights remain close at hand: the HeimatSpur, the juniper heath, views into the valley of the Kleine Kyll and the village’s historic buildings.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Meisburg, Schalkenmehren, Kradenbach, Dockweiler, Oberstadtfeld, Betteldorf, Darscheid, Mückeln.

Go to the main travel overview: Daun.