Oberehe-Stroheich: Discover Heathland and Church Art

Oberehe-Stroheich brings together church art, traces of former religious sites and a protected heathland landscape. These themes offer different points of interest: in St. Agatha, murals and furnishings tell of different periods, while the Obereher Heide invites visitors to explore its natural environment and landscape history along a circular route. The spring at Laubachshof and a castle with clearly restricted access complete the picture.

Church Art and Historical Traces

St. Agatha in Stroheich is a Catholic branch church dating from the 16th century. Its architectural features include a square choir and a west tower. The choir contains a Late Gothic mural depicting the Crucifixion. The furnishings also include an 18th-century tabernacle altar and simple wooden figures from the same period. The building’s design, mural and furnishings thus offer several specific ways to explore the church, without limiting the focus to a single work of art.

Traces of former religious sites have also been preserved in Oberehe. A large wooden cross is set into the castle wall at the site of the former St. James’s Church. The present-day parish church in Oberehe, in turn, preserves furnishings and liturgical objects from an earlier church, including a bell dating from 1480. The cross at the former church site and the objects preserved in the parish church bring history to life in different ways.

Heathland and Spring

The Obereher Heide is a 30-hectare heathland nature reserve within the European Natura 2000 network of protected areas. Species found there include purple moor-grass, arnica and the dark green fritillary. The wildlife and plant life are part of the heathland’s distinctive natural character, though you may not see every species on each visit.

A two-kilometre circular route through the Obereher Heide explains how this cultural landscape formed and what characterises it. This makes it possible to explore the area not only through its species, but also through the development of its landscape. Check the local signage before setting out.

The spring at Laubachshof is in Oberehe-Stroheich and is considered the most highly mineralised spring in the Hillesheim area. Leave the village, park and walk along the stream. Water flow and temperature vary with the weather and the season, so check access details before travelling there.

Access Restrictions and Other Activities

Oberehe Castle is privately owned and cannot be entered. You can, however, view it from the gate. Since ownership or visitor arrangements may change, it is advisable to check access information before your visit.

Fishing is another option at the reservoir and stream associated with Oberehe-Stroheich. Day permits are available during the fishing season; the catch limit is four fish. Check the season, day permits and catch limit locally, as these conditions may change.

Hiking Options in the Wider Vulkaneifel Destination

The regional geology of the wider Vulkaneifel destination offers another perspective on the landscape. To date, 77 maars have been documented there and 350 volcanic vents counted, about 270 of them from the more recent phase. Ulmen Maar marks the most recent volcanic eruption in the Vulkaneifel, which occurred about 10,900 years ago. These figures give the subject of volcanism a regional dimension that extends beyond the natural attractions right in Oberehe-Stroheich.

Hikes also vary in duration and distance. The Vulkaneifel trails are marked and signposted and include half-day hikes, full-day hikes and multi-day treks. The Vulcano Trail is a 26.2-kilometre circular route east of Schalkenmehren. The eleventh stage of the Eifelsteig leads from Daun to Manderscheid and is 23.4 kilometres long. Compared with the two-kilometre loop through the Obereher Heide, these regional routes offer different distances and types of hike.

If church art, former religious sites and the Obereher Heide are your main interests, focus your search on Oberehe-Stroheich. If you also plan longer hikes in the wider Vulkaneifel destination, take the starting points and endpoints of your chosen routes into account when choosing where to stay.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Dohm-Lammersdorf, Wiesbaum, Zilsdorf, Berndorf, Kerpen, Bolsdorf, Walsdorf and Loogh.

Back to the overview of the wider destination: Hillesheim.