The best traffic-free bike rides around Ulmen

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A comfortable bench with a beautiful view—we enjoyed taking a chat break here early in the morning and enjoying the morning atmosphere!

1 million years of geology. Worth putting your bike aside for a moment.

The fairy-tale fountain at the Alten Postplatz tells a story. Here, on this spot, it is at its most beautiful.

The Ulmen Maar lies 420 meters above sea level today, covers an area of 5.5 hectares, and is 36 meters deep. The bubbles at the maar's edge demonstrate that volcanism is still active. They bear witness to a turbulent past—but rest assured, there's no eruption in sight! A wall of various rocks and ash, up to 20 meters thick, surrounds the cone. For those interested, these testimonies to this explosive past are beautifully displayed in St. Matthias Church. This unique wall, with its different colored layers and rounded inclusions, is worth seeing for more than just geologists. The slopes of the maar basin are covered with a beautiful forest, which can be explored on a circular walk. A detour to the medieval castle ruins, from which the Crusaders once launched their campaigns, is recommended. The view from the crater rim over the maar and the Eifel beyond will take your breath away. Whether after a sweaty hike or a long drive, the blue of the Ulmer Eifel lake is all too tempting in summer. However, bathing in the maar is prohibited because it is designated as a nature and water protection area.

The lower castle has completely disappeared. You can still see the beginning of the ring that connected the lower castle and the Ulmen city wall, a two-story outer wall of the palace, as well as a cistern and some foundation walls of other buildings. The old part of Ulmen Castle was built around 1074 AD and likely rests on the remains of a Roman settlement. In the Middle Ages, Ulmen Castle was further expanded and divided into the upper castle, whose remains of the walls still exist, and the lower castle, which extended to the banks of the maar river. Two knightly families lived in the castle, which is believed to have never been attacked or destroyed until 1673 due to its size. Only the Sun King's troops succeeded. It was rebuilt, but fell again in 1689 during the War of the Succession. However, Ulmen Castle was also rebuilt this time, with only the city wall being abandoned. With the invasion of Napoleon's soldiers, Ulmen also became French and later Prussian. The empty castle, whose last descendant died in 1801, was auctioned to a merchant from Cochem, who sold it as a quarry. When a devastating fire burned Ulmen to the ground in the 19th century, the residents of Ulmen rebuilt their houses with stones from the castle. That's why you can still see a coat of arms on some of the stables today. It wasn't until the early twentieth century that Ulmen Castle was declared a listed building and became the property of the municipality of Ulmen. The castle is always freely accessible.

The Sarmersbach XXL or panoramic bench was built in November 2020 and is the largest bench in Rhineland-Palatinate. At 3.25 meters high and 6.27 meters long, it is unique. Over 6 cubic meters of Douglas fir wood were used. You can easily reach the bench via a wooden walkway – no climbing required! However, enter at your own risk. Anyone who takes a break here will be rewarded with a magnificent view.

The Afelskreuz (indulgence cross, mistakenly interpreted as the "Eifel Cross") stands on an old Roman military road. For centuries, pilgrims from the Bonn-Cologne region have traveled this route to the grave of the Apostle Saint Matthias in Trier. This path is therefore also popularly known as the Pilgrim's Route. Another name is the "Piglet Route," because farmers and traders drove their cattle along the Afelskreuz to the markets in Kelberg and Mehren until the 1830s. It is noteworthy that the cities of Trier and Cologne are equidistant from the Afelskreuz (Afelskreuz), some 90 kilometers away. The Romans already established a well-developed network of paths, which can still be seen today. Hörschhausen was a junction of several Roman-era paths and roads. There was also a path from Hörschhausen to Bongard, which crossed the main road between Uess and Lieser at the Afelskreuz.