Selters (Westerwald): Churches, Trails and Lake District

Selters (Westerwald) combines architectural history with trails whose lengths are easy to compare. The Evangelical Church, St. Boniface and the hiking routes offer different focuses for planning your trip: local history, outdoor exercise or natural attractions in the surrounding area. This makes it easy to consider which themes you want to shape your stay.

Churches and everyday life in the Westerwald

The Evangelical Church in Selters is considered to have a distinctly neoclassical design and was consecrated in 1842. Two side wings were built as schools and have remained in municipal use. The church is a listed building. Its architectural history thus combines a place of worship with a function for the side wings that continues to this day.

St. Boniface tells a different architectural story: the present-day church replaced a Neo-Gothic predecessor, which was demolished in 1965. The choir windows explore the theme of the Revelation of John. Visitors interested in churches will therefore find two different historical contexts and designs in Selters.

MUSE is located in rooms at Oberwaldschule Selters. Its exhibits focus on rural life in the Westerwald, past and present. This complements the churches with a look at everyday life and regional history.

Compare trails by distance

Four named trails make it easy to choose by distance: the Oasenweg is 3 kilometres long, the El1 route along the Saynbach is 6 kilometres, and the Qu1 route through the Oberwald is 8 kilometres. The S2 circular route around Selters covers approximately 10 kilometres. Wacht, above Selters, is another destination for walks. This lets you put your preferred distance at the centre of your planning.

The Nordic Walking Park associated with the Selters local authority includes the Seenplatte, Postweiherrunde, Laurentiusweg, Saynbach/Holzbach, Im Oberwald and Saynbachweg routes. They range from 5.25 to 18.61 kilometres; there are also shorter connecting paths. This wider choice of routes is located within the Selters collective municipality.

Nature and attractions in the surrounding area

The Westerwald Lake District lies near Selters. Described as a nature reserve, it has seven lakes and extends towards the Saynbach Valley. An extensive network of hiking and cycling trails offers ways to explore the seven ponds. In addition to the trails of varying lengths around Selters, there are further options for a tour through the landscape.

The spring-fed, officially certified bathing lake Klingelweiher is also near Selters. Its listed facilities include a sunbathing lawn, terrace, kiosk, playground and pedal boat rental. The combination of water, open space and facilities by the lake offers a different experience from the hiking trails.

Grenzau Castle is known for its triangular keep, said to be the only one of its kind in Germany. The castle offers views across the wooded Brextal valley and the historic half-timbered village of Grenzau. Here, you can take in both the architectural form and the landscape while appreciating the castle's distinctive historic character.

These themes provide a starting point for choosing the focus of your stay.

The wider Westerwald destination

The wider Westerwald destination offers further themes to explore. The WesterwaldSteig is a 235-kilometre long-distance hiking trail through the Westerwald, with 16 stages. Check the current route planner before setting out. At Stöffel Park, a former basalt quarry covering around 140 hectares brings together industrial heritage, geological history and nature. Its TERTIÄRUM displays fossils, including the famous “Stöffel mouse”, documenting around 25 million years of Earth's history.

Cultural sites also form part of the Westerwald experience: the historic town centre of Hachenburg is characterised by restored half-timbered houses around the Alter Markt; the Löwenbrunnen is part of its historic atmosphere. Such regional themes add further facets of the Westerwald destination to the picture of Selters.

Discover more places

Also discover Freirachdorf.

Discover more destinations: Hundsdorf, Gackenbach, Liebenscheid, Seck, Eitelborn, Montabaur, Heiligenroth.

Go to the overview of the wider destination: Westerwald.