Discover Duppach: Mineral Springs, History and Hiking

Small and round: the Eichholzmaar between Steffeln and Duppach has a distinctive shape typical of the volcanic landscape. Duppach also has mineral springs, a long parish history and Roman remains. If you would like to combine nature, hiking and cultural history, you will find a range of themes here to help plan your trip.

Maar, mineral springs and geopark

The Eichholzmaar between Steffeln and Duppach is a small, distinctly circular volcanic maar. Two mineral springs lie in the adjacent valley. At the Duppacher Drees, an information panel explains the iron- and CO₂-rich mineral water in German, English and Dutch. It also displays the logo of the UNESCO Global Geopark Vulkaneifel. Here, a characteristic maar shape meets a natural-history explanation of the water’s composition.

Duppach lies within the UNESCO Geopark Vulkaneifel and the North Eifel Nature Park. The Drees is a specific point of interest if you are interested in mineral springs; the Eichholzmaar showcases a different, distinctly circular landscape form. When planning your trip, you can treat them as separate points of interest rather than combining them into a single attraction.

Church and Roman history

The Catholic parish church is dedicated to St. Hubertus; the parish of Duppach is first mentioned in 846. The present church was built between 1923 and 1927. The choir of the older church is still used as a cemetery chapel, giving the older structure a distinct function alongside the 20th-century church building. In 1751, the church received a relic of St. Hubertus from Count Johann Karl Erb-Truchseß von Waldburg-Zeil, Provost of Cologne Cathedral.

Duppach-Weiermühle is also part of the area’s Roman history: its archaeological remains include a necropolis and residential and farm buildings along the Trier–Cologne Roman road. The burial ground and buildings represent different forms of Roman heritage. The Knauf blacksmith’s forge offers another way to explore history and craftsmanship: visitors can watch a blacksmith at work at an open forge.

Hiking trails and practical information

The “Volcanoes, Maars and Dreese” Geotrail is a moderately difficult circular hike with two loops. It is 20.9 kilometres long and takes approximately 5 hours and 45 minutes. The loops pass the Duppacher Drees, one of the three iron-rich mineral springs on the route. The distance, difficulty and approximate duration can help you estimate how much time to allow for the hike; check current trail conditions before setting out.

The Volcano Trail passes the Roman villa at Duppach-Weihermühle and the dry maar Duppacher Weiher. Check the information about the long-distance hiking trail before setting out on a full stage. Bus route 542 runs from Lissendorf station to the church in Steffeln; check the current timetable before travelling. The Duppach community centre at Hauptstraße 36 is an option for free parking.

These offer different ways to plan your hikes: the Geotrail focuses on a circular route with specific distance and time details, while the Volcano Trail passes two named destinations with Roman and geological history. The accommodation that suits your stay also depends on which of these themes you want to explore in Duppach and which you want to include in the rest of your travel plans.

The Vulkaneifel as a wider travel destination

The wider Vulkaneifel travel destination offers a broader geological perspective: 77 maars have been identified and 350 eruption centres counted in the Vulkaneifel, around 270 of them from the more recent phase. The Ulmen Maar marks the most recent volcanic eruption in the Vulkaneifel, which took place approximately 10,900 years ago.

The Vulkaneifel also offers a wider selection of hikes: the Vulkaneifel trails lead to scenic highlights on either side of the Eifelsteig. They are marked and signposted, and include half-day hikes, day hikes and multi-day hikes. In Daun, the Eifel Volcano Museum features three-dimensional landscape models of cinder cones, maars and mineral springs, as well as exhibits on West Eifel volcanism. The Vulkanhaus Strohn is an interactive museum featuring a lava fissure wall around 30,000 years old, approximately six metres long and four metres high. These regional attractions complement Duppach’s local and landscape highlights and can help shape your choice of where to stay.

Discover more destinations: Kalenborn-Scheuern, Pelm, Gees, Hohenfels-Essingen, Mürlenbach, Salm, Rockeskyll, Berlingen.

Return to the main travel overview: Gerolstein.