Sassen: Views, Chapel and Themed Trails

Sassen offers several different starting points for a trip: the Eifel-Guck observation tower, the Chapel of St. Anthony and themed trails. You can get to know the village through its views and outdoor activities, as well as its settlement pattern and history.

Views and climbing features at Eifel-Guck

From Eifel-Guck, the 360-degree view extends across the Volcanic Eifel and towards the Hochkelberg. Climbing features, a climbing ship, suspension bridges and low-rope elements are located on or next to the tower. A path also leads towards the tree house on Holzberg. Views and activities are separate highlights, so when planning your trip you can consider which is the main priority for your group. Check local access arrangements before travelling.

The chapel and village layout

The Chapel of St. Anthony dates from 1750 and is still used as a branch chapel of the parish of Uess. Access arrangements may vary. Sassen’s settlement pattern also gives the village its distinctive character: the street village has a characteristic elongated appearance, while the settlement becomes more densely clustered around the chapel. The building’s history and the village’s layout can therefore be considered together, without reducing the chapel to its age alone.

Themed trails with different perspectives

The “Footsteps of Kamillen-Traud” circular trail runs between the neighbouring villages of Kolverath and Sassen and their associated districts. Traud’s life story is told at seven analogue information points. The trail is one of the themed circular routes on the History Trail. Its stops give the walk a biographical focus: the emphasis is not only on the landscape, but also on the life story presented along the way.

Sassen is also listed as a route location on “Border, Gallows and History”. This route meets “Nature and Life’s Mysteries” in Sassen. The Old Quarry is also listed as a point of interest in the route’s vicinity. On the way from Sassen towards Gunderath, the route passes orchards that serve as points of interest; their seasonal appearance can change over the course of the year. The themed trails therefore differ in their stories and in the points of interest they mention.

The Volcanic Eifel as a wider travel destination

Those who want to explore beyond Sassen will find a wider geological context in the Volcanic Eifel. So far, 77 maars have been identified and 350 volcanic centres counted in the Volcanic Eifel, around 270 of them from the more recent phase. The Ulmen Maar marks the most recent volcanic eruption in the Volcanic Eifel, which took place around 10,900 years ago. These figures and time periods offer a different perspective on the region from the history of Sassen itself.

The hiking trails also span different time frames. The signposted and marked Volcanic Eifel Paths lead to scenic highlights on both sides of the Eifelsteig and include half-day hikes, day hikes and multi-day hikes. The Vulcano Trail is a 26.2-kilometre circular route east of Schalkenmehren. The eleventh stage of the Eifelsteig runs from Daun to Manderscheid and is 23.4 kilometres long. Comparing them is therefore about more than the stated distance: it also means considering the route type, whether a circular trail or a stage between two places.

You can also explore the geology of the Volcanic Eifel in museums. 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. 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 four metres high. This lets you explore regional landforms and how they formed through models and distinctive rock formations.

Choose the right base for your trip

If you mainly want to visit Eifel-Guck, the chapel and the themed trails, you can search specifically for accommodation in Sassen. If your trip is to include several destinations in the Volcanic Eifel, compare accommodation locations with the places and activities you plan to visit. This lets you tailor your search to your itinerary without combining views, village history and regional hiking or museum themes into a single excursion.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Berenbach, Neichen, Hörschhausen, Borler, Mosbruch, Lirstal, Mannebach and Brücktal.

Go to the broader travel overview: Kelberg.