Pelm: Kasselburg Castle, Wildlife Encounters and Trails
Accommodation in Pelm
Pelm combines the silhouette of a medieval castle with wildlife encounters and trails for hikers and cyclists. Kasselburg Castle, home to the Eagle and Wolf Park, gives the village a distinct focus on nature and history; Pelm is also connected to the Eifelsteig trail network and the Kyll Cycle Path. When planning your trip, you can choose how to balance castles, wildlife, hiking and cycling.
Kasselburg Castle and Wildlife Encounters
Kasselburg Castle is a ruin dating from the 12th century. Its twin towers, 37 metres high, define the site; from there, the view extends across the Kyll Valley and Pelm. The grounds are also home to the Kasselburg Eagle and Wolf Park.
The park offers the chance to encounter wolves, eagles, falcons and other birds of prey. Its programme includes scheduled birds-of-prey flight demonstrations and wolf feedings. As the programme may change, check the current times for demonstrations and feedings before your visit.
Hiking, Cycling and Choosing Where to Stay
Pelm is connected to the Eifelsteig trail network and the Kyll Cycle Path. Buses that allow bicycles also make longer trips to the NĂĽrburgring and the Moselle possible. Check local trail and bicycle-transport conditions before setting out.
When choosing accommodation in Pelm, it helps to decide on your main focus first: Would you mainly like to visit Kasselburg Castle and the Eagle and Wolf Park, combine hiking and cycling, or also include the Vulkaneifel as a regional theme? Then match the location of your chosen accommodation to the destinations that matter for your trip.
Vulkaneifel: Landscapes, Trails and Culture
A total of 77 maars have been identified in the wider Vulkaneifel destination; 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 Vulkaneifel, which took place about 10,900 years ago. Near Bettenfeld lies Windsborn Crater Lake, the only natural crater lake north of the Alps. Gemündener Maar has a water surface of about seven hectares and is the smallest of the three famous “eyes of the Eifel”.
The Vulkaneifel trails lead to scenic highlights on both sides of the Eifelsteig; they are marked and signposted. Routes range from half-day and full-day hikes to multi-day treks. The eleventh stage of the Eifelsteig runs from Daun to Manderscheid and is 23.4 kilometres long. East of Schalkenmehren, the 26.2-kilometre Vulcano Trail forms a circular route. For mountain biking, the Vulkaneifel Trail Park has a network of around 750 kilometres of trails and more than 17,500 metres of elevation gain. Check current trail conditions before setting out.
Museums offer a range of different perspectives, too. 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 is an interactive museum; its geological exhibits include a lava fissure wall around 30,000 years old, approximately six metres long and around four metres high. The Gerolstein Natural History Museum is described as the Eifel’s largest and oldest geomuseum and displays stone evidence from the region’s geological history across three floors.
Other regional cultural and natural highlights include the Ulmen Castle ruins above the steep shore of Ulmen Maar, where parts of the upper castle remain, and the two Manderscheid castles. The narrow Lieser Valley separates them; together, they represent an interplay of nature and culture. At the Strohn lava bomb, visitors can explore its formation on site and experience the effects of volcanism in the Eifel. Local access conditions may vary.
Discover More Destinations
Discover more destinations: Duppach, Hinterhausen, Kalenborn-Scheuern, MĂĽllenborn, Kopp, Hohenfels-Essingen, Salm, Neroth.
Back to the main travel overview: Gerolstein.
