Osann-Monzel offers several starting points for a trip: winegrowing, routes through the landscape, and local history. With around 220 hectares of planted vineyard area, the town is one of the major winegrowing areas on the Middle Moselle; 80 full-time and part-time winegrowers cultivate the land. There are also named viewpoints and routes with different starting and ending points. For your planning, it is worth deciding first whether you want to focus on vineyard sites and views, a hiking stage, or historic buildings.
Vineyards and Views at the Hüttenkopf
The Monzel shelter is on the route to the Hüttenkopf. From there, you can look out over the vineyards and the Moselle Valley. The Monzeler Hüttenkopf is 423.4 metres high and the second-highest elevation in the Moselle hills. From the Hüttenkopf viewpoint, the view takes in the “Monzeler Kätzchen” and “Osanner Rosenberg” vineyard sites. Another viewpoint is Monzeler Kätzchen: reached through the vineyards, it offers views as far as Bernkastel-Kues. The two named viewpoints therefore differ mainly in what they overlook.
The Monzeler Hüttenkopf Trail also starts in Osann-Monzel, in a side valley of the Moselle. Millions of years ago, a bend in the Moselle flowed through this valley. The landscape here can therefore be understood not only through its present-day vineyard sites, but also through its geological history. Anyone interested in this aspect of the town can find a direct connection to the side valley and the Hüttenkopf along the trail.
Hiking Trails with Different Stage Destinations
Osann-Monzel is a stage destination on the Moselsteig Trail, which enters the town via Altrichstraße. Check the current trail conditions before your trip. The Jakobsweg has a different connection to the town: its fifth stage ends in Osann-Monzel. The Jakobsweg also passes a large-scale species conservation facility and continues to the “Kätzchen” rest area in Osann-Monzel. These details help distinguish the routes by their respective connections to the town: on the Moselsteig, the town is a stage destination; on the Jakobsweg, the fifth stage and a section of the route featuring the locations mentioned end there.
Local History and Architectural Styles
The Catholic parish church of St. Peter in Osann was built in the Baroque style in 1766/67. Another architectural feature can be found along the Schiffswanderweg: it starts in Osann and runs via Moselstraße from Monzel to Kesten. In the centre of Monzel, it passes the Quereinhäuser. These are historic farm or agricultural houses, built mainly around 1815 during the Neoclassical period. Baroque church architecture and rural building history thus stand alongside one another as distinct themes.
The local landscape also includes the Osann War Memorial to the victims of the First and Second World Wars. It is designed as a small, open circular temple and stands in a green space with mature trees, enclosed by a low rubble-stone wall. Those interested in history can include both sacred architecture and a memorial with its own clearly described form in their travel plans. Check local conditions before hiking the Schiffswanderweg.
Nature Information and a Place to Rest
The Eidechse Osann-Monzel/Kesten information point is located in the vineyards between Osann-Monzel and Kesten and provides information about lizards. This adds a specific connection to local wildlife to the cultivated landscape of the vineyards. Cyclists also have a named landmark: the Moselloreleytour of the Moselhöhenradweg reaches a rest area on the outskirts of Monzel, with a place to take a break. As the condition of such facilities may change with local maintenance, it is advisable to check their status before visiting.
Discover more destinations: Altrich, Klausen, Minderlittgen, Dreis, Plein, Dodenburg, Heidweiler, Bruch.
For the overarching travel overview: Wittlich.
