Gunderath: Park Experiences and Local History

Gunderath brings together a variety of attractions: Center Parcs Park Eifel, a large leisure and bungalow park, is located in the municipality’s wooded area. Another local landmark is the branch chapel of St Quirinus. Family activities and a tangible connection to local history sit side by side here.

Family activities in the park and surrounding area

Family activities in the park include Aqua Mundo, the water park, the Kids Factory indoor play area and the Nature Adventure Park. There are also treasure hunts, tennis, squash, mountain biking and Nordic walking. The range spans everything from water-based and indoor play to sports and exercise. Individual activities and operating conditions may change; if a particular offering is important to your plans, check the latest information before your visit.

Aqua Mundo offers opportunities for swimming and family recreation in the park. The activities in the surrounding Vulkaneifel are different: fishing is possible at Heilbachsee, and you can explore the landscape by mountain bike or on a Nordic walking route. The distinction is important when planning: Aqua Mundo focuses on water and family recreation in the park, while fishing at Heilbachsee is part of the regional nature experience.

A local landmark on the History Trail

The branch chapel of St Quirinus was built in 1785 and is dedicated to St Quirinus. As stop 23, it is part of the “Around the Hochkelberg” History Trail. Its construction date, dedication and place on the trail give the area a tangible historical connection—a different perspective for visitors than the park’s leisure and sports activities.

Vulkaneifel: geology and landscape

The wider Vulkaneifel destination opens up views of a volcanic landscape. So far, 77 maars have been identified there; 350 eruption centres have also been counted, around 270 of them from the more recent phase. Ulmener Maar marks the most recent volcanic eruption in the Vulkaneifel, which took place around 10,900 years ago. The lakes also each have their own character: Windsborn Crater Lake near Bettenfeld is the only natural crater lake north of the Alps. Gemündener Maar has a water surface of around 7 hectares and is the smallest of the three famous “Eyes of the Eifel”.

Hiking and mountain biking in the Vulkaneifel

The Vulkaneifel trails are marked and signposted, and offer half-day hikes, day hikes and multi-day walks. Two specific routes differ in their course and length: the eleventh stage of the Eifelsteig runs from Daun to Manderscheid and is 23.4 kilometres long. The Vulcano Trail is a 26.2-kilometre circular route east of Schalkenmehren. For mountain biking, the Vulkaneifel Trail Park has a network of around 750 kilometres of trails with more than 17,500 metres of elevation gain.

Museums and historic landscapes

The Eifel Volcano Museum in Daun displays three-dimensional landscape models of cinder cones, maars and mineral springs, as well as exhibits on West Eifel volcanism. A lava fissure wall around 30,000 years old is one of the special exhibits at the interactive Volcano House in Strohn; it is around six metres long and four metres high. For visitors who want to consider buildings and landscapes alongside geology, the Vulkaneifel offers other historical landmarks: the two Manderscheid castles are separated by the narrow Lieser valley, creating a striking interplay of nature and culture. The ruins of Ulmen Castle rise above the steep shore of Ulmener Maar; parts of the upper castle have survived.

Choose a travel focus when looking for accommodation

When looking for accommodation in Gunderath, it helps to decide what you want to focus on: should the park’s family activities shape your trip, or would you also like to include local history at the Quirinus Chapel? You can give the nature, hiking and museum attractions of the wider Vulkaneifel their own place in your travel plans.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Welcherath, Mannebach, Borler, Uersfeld, Sassen, Nitz, Berenbach, Drees.

For the wider travel overview: Kelberg.