Discover Borler: Chapels, Village History and Hiking Trails

Borler combines village history and chapels with a circular hike through the surrounding area. If you are looking for accommodation here, you can consider the village as a starting point for your own interests: for example, trails featuring historical sites or impressions of the landscape and geology of the Volcanic Eifel.

Hiking between Borler, Bodenbach and Heyerberg

The circular hike around Borler and Bodenbach passes Bodenbacher Drees and Heyerberg. It is rated as easy, covers 9 kilometres and takes about 2.5 hours. The elevation gain and loss are each listed as 118 metres. The distance, approximate duration and elevation change give you a concrete guide when planning your time for a hiking day.

Bodenbacher Drees is a carbonated spring in the valley of the Bongarder Bach. The water rises there from Lower Devonian sedimentary rocks. Drees is also a stop on the History Trail, where Roman traces can be seen. You can reach Bodenbacher Drees via the B257 or B410, followed by the L70 and L72; parking is possible on the road between Bodenbach and Borler. As road and parking conditions may change, check the latest information before setting off.

Another way to learn about Borler and its history is the “Peace, Forest and Chapel” trail, which has nine stops. Stops in Borler include Bernhardskapelle, distinctive half-timbered houses and the former grassland research institute, now used as a community centre. Along the trail, religious buildings, older houses and a building with a changing history of use come together.

Chapels and Village History

The Neo-Romanesque Heyer Chapel stands on Heyerberg near Borler and is a protected cultural monument. The approach and forecourt feature 14 Stations of the Cross arranged in a concentric pattern around the chapel. The chapel remains a destination for numerous processions. The nine-stop “Peace, Forest and Chapel” trail is a separate route description: the number refers to the stops along the trail, not to the Stations of the Cross at the chapel.

Borler’s older chapel history is also very much present. The former Heyer Chapel and its cemetery were closed in 1801 and 1805, respectively. A bell dated 1677 from the former chapel is now in Borler Church. In the village, the oldest houses cluster around Bachgasse and the Catholic branch church of St Leonhard. Leonhard Chapel was consecrated in 1875.

Volcanic Eifel: a wider landscape and cultural context

For a broader thematic selection, it is worth looking at the Volcanic Eifel as a travel destination. To date, 77 maar lakes have been identified there; 350 eruption centres have also been counted, around 270 of them from the more recent phase. Ulmen Maar marks the most recent volcanic eruption in the Volcanic Eifel, which took place around 10,900 years ago. These regional geological features provide a different perspective from Borler’s local and chapel history.

The Volcanic Eifel’s hiking and museum themes also offer further points of interest. The Volcanic Eifel Trails lead to scenic highlights on both sides of the Eifelsteig, are marked and signposted, and include half-day hikes, day hikes and multi-day hikes. The eleventh stage of the Eifelsteig runs from Daun to Manderscheid and is 23.4 kilometres long. In Daun, the Eifel Volcano Museum displays three-dimensional landscape models of cinder cones, maar lakes and mineral springs, as well as exhibits on western Eifel volcanism. The interactive Strohn Volcano House showcases a lava fissure wall around 30,000 years old, approximately six metres long and four metres high.

When choosing your accommodation, it helps to first decide on your preferred focus: would you like local history, with chapels and historic sites, to take centre stage, or would you prefer to plan your trip around the broader landscape and geology of the Volcanic Eifel? Compare the location of the specific accommodation with your own travel plans.

Discover more destinations: Gunderath, Hörschhausen, Uersfeld, Brücktal, Nitz, Katzwinkel, Oberelz, Berenbach.

For the higher-level travel overview: Kelberg.