Fernthal: Activities, GeoRoute and Pilgrimage

Fernthal combines outdoor and indoor activities with its own history of pilgrimage and chapels. The GeoRoutes also offer different perspectives: one starts at the sandstone church in the village, while another explores the volcanic forces that shaped the ridge as far as Fernthal. This lets you choose whether to focus your trip on activity, history or landscape.

Activities in Fernthal

The Fernthal outdoor fitness trail is next to the kindergarten and offers free outdoor training at five stations. Clear instructions explain exercises for flexibility, coordination and strength. Anyone can play and train at the tennis hall in Fernthal; court times can be booked online. This gives you a choice of different ways to stay active: guided exercises at stations in the open air, or playing tennis indoors.

GeoRoute: Stages and landscape

The “In the Valley of the Old Mine” GeoRoute is 17.6 kilometres long in total and can be hiked in three stages or in one go. Its first stage, 9.5 kilometres long, starts at the sandstone church in Fernthal. From Altenhütte, a marked connecting path leads back to Fernthal. When choosing your route, it is helpful to distinguish between the first section and the total distance: 9.5 kilometres refers to the first stage, and 17.6 kilometres to the entire GeoRoute. You can also choose between splitting the hike into three stages and completing it in one go.

The “Basalt and Non-Ferrous Metals” GeoRoute offers a different perspective. It explores the volcanic forces that shaped the ridge as far as Fernthal. This adds a geological view of the landscape to the information about stages and route length.

Chapel and pilgrimage

The Catholic branch chapel of the Assumption of Mary in Fernthal was built in 1911. It houses a Madonna dating from the 15th century. The construction date and the Madonna’s date of origin point to different historical periods in one place.

The annual pilgrimage from Fernthal to the Maria-Hilf Chapel in Koblenz-Lützel has taken place since 1830. It is held every year in May and starts at 5:45 a.m. at St. Mary’s Assumption Chapel in Fernthal. The itinerary includes sections on foot and bus journeys. If you are planning for the early start, check the date for the relevant year.

In the wider destination of Neustadt (Wied)

The local municipality of Neustadt (Wied) is in the Vorderer Westerwald and the Rhein-Westerwald Nature Park. Its landscape is shaped by valleys, high ground and woodland at elevations of 120 to 370 metres above sea level. A two-kilometre circular forest education trail runs above the municipality. Interactive information or play stations focus on the local forest. The Berschau nature recreation area in Neustadt (Wied) is also on the banks of the Wied; it has a biotope, hiking trails, playgrounds and barbecue huts.

View the wider travel guide: Neustadt.