The best road cycling routes around Arft

At the moment the road to Altenahr is closed here

The northern gate of the city fortifications, which still exists today, is the gatehouse located on the Nette river, built between 1299 and 1354. It secured the crossing of the Nette and primarily served as the city entrance from the direction of Koblenz, which is why it also bears the name "Koblenzer Tor" (Koblenz Gate). Since there are no signs of a slot in the wall for a portcullis, it is assumed that a drawbridge to the bridge pier on the Nette was used to secure the gate. Due to the flood in 1598, the gatehouse collapsed along with the outer gate. However, the chiseled number 1599 testifies that the gatehouse was rebuilt just one year later. From the beginning of the 19th century until 1855, the gatehouse was used as a prison. The city coat of arms, added in 1911, is still visible today. Source: Jonas Breithaupt, University of Koblenz-Landau, 2015

The oldest part of Bürresheim Castle is the imposing keep, a 12th-century tower that clearly reflects the castle's defensive origins. Over time, the castle developed into a complex double complex, consisting of the so-called Cologne Castle and the Trier Castle, which underwent different construction and expansion phases. While the Cologne Castle formed the older part and primarily served economic purposes—leading to its eventual decline—the Trier Castle was transformed into a prestigious residential palace, which continues to shape the character of the entire complex to this day.

The Brückentor (Bridge Gate) is one of Mayen's few remaining medieval city gates and once served as the most important entrance for travelers coming from Koblenz. Today, this historic building houses the Mayen Carnival Museum, which brings the city's long tradition of "Faasenaacht" (Carnival Night) to life.

A very beautiful market square with beautiful buildings (town hall, church, and castle). Plenty of cafés and restaurants, bakeries, etc., offer opportunities for a rest and refreshment.

The late Gothic castle was besieged, destroyed, and rebuilt several times over the course of its eventful history. The current complex consists of the upper castle with the 34-meter-high Golo Tower and the slightly lower outer castle. The castle is protected from the city by a large castle gate, and on the other side by the keep and a moat complex. The former moat is now a ring road spanned by a 20-meter-long Gothic stone bridge. The Genovevaburg Castle houses two exhibitions of the Eifel Museum: EifelTotal and the German Slate Mine.

The castle belongs to the municipality of Sankt Johann in Rhineland-Palatinate and is located northwest of Mayen on a rocky outcrop at the confluence of the Nitzbach and Nette rivers. Along with Eltz Castle and Lissingen Castle, Bürresheim Castle is one of the few aristocratic residences in the Eifel region that was never conquered or destroyed, surviving unscathed both the wars of the 17th and 18th centuries and the social upheavals resulting from the French Revolution. Its history was largely shaped by its location on the border between the two ecclesiastical electorates of Cologne and Trier.

The church's patron saint suggests its great age. It was first mentioned in 1330 in the Taxa generalis of the Archdiocese of Trier. The Romanesque west tower dates to the beginning of the 13th century. The core of the nave, which still stands today, was built around 1470. Around 1728, the choir was enlarged, and a sacristy was added to the south side of the east bay of the nave. Along with other minor alterations over time, the expansion between 1904 and 1906 was the most significant. Under the direction of the Bonn architect Johann Adam Rüppel, the northern aisle was renovated and a southern aisle was added. This created the current four-aisled hall church. In 1919, the western gallery was built from tuff stone in neo-Gothic style.