Bell combines hiking trails with a remarkable local history: its character includes a hiking area of about 150 hectares, churches, fountains and an oven-building tradition that continues to this day. When planning your trip, you can consider nature, architectural history and craftsmanship as distinct areas of interest.
Hiking in Bell’s woodland
The hiking area covers about 150 hectares and consists mainly of open high forest with beech and oak trees. Its flora and fauna are considered exceptionally diverse. The network of hiking trails includes benches, barbecue areas and shelters for hikers. So when planning time outdoors, you can take into account not only the woodland setting but also the specific places to rest and spend time.
Two routes can be compared by length and the quickest starting point from Bell: the 14.2-kilometre Waldseepfad Rieden starts from the Gänsehals hiker car park; the 12.9-kilometre Vierberge-Tour has its quickest starting point at the village square. The Waldseepfad is therefore 1.3 kilometres longer, and the stated starting points are different. Length and starting point are the key factors to compare when choosing your route.
Churches, fountains and Bell’s craftsmanship
The Catholic parish church of St. Florinus is an imposing tuff-stone building. Construction began in 1913; the church was completed and consecrated on 10 July 1916. The Nikolaus Chapel, formerly called the Old Church of Bell, is Late Romanesque and was first mentioned in a document in 1249. These sites thus highlight different historical connections: the chapel’s early mention and the parish church’s construction in the 20th century.
Oven-building craftsmanship is also part of Bell’s character. The demonstration oven can be viewed in the area around Hauptstraße, Wehrer Straße and Gänsehalsstraße. Some of the oven builders’ tools are also on display there. The original Bell stone oven in the village square is still in use today. The craft tradition continues to this day: three companies carry it on using a different process, the steam-fired steel oven.
The village square in Hummesgasse, established in 2010, features a historic blacksmith’s forge and a fountain installation with Bell’s emblem, “einer Jäß.” Another fountain is located in the south of Bell: the Hasenbrunnen, colloquially also called Hassebuhr, is at the end of Brunnenstraße and is the source of the Bellerbach.
Summer event and an important access note
The Bell fair is traditionally celebrated on the third Sunday in July and has been part of the summer calendar in Bell and the region for decades. If you want to plan your trip around the event, check the date for the relevant year. The older Gänsehalsturm is also located near the destination. It should not be confused with the newer tower nearby: the older tower and the adjoining shelter have been privately owned since 1960 and are not open to the public.
Culture across the wider destination of Mayen-Koblenz
Beyond Bell, the wider destination of Mayen-Koblenz offers a range of cultural and historical themes. Genovevaburg was built in 1280 by Heinrich von Finstingen, Archbishop of Trier, and is one of Mayen’s landmarks. Sayner Hütte is an anchor point on the European Route of Industrial Heritage and the only monument in Rhineland-Palatinate to receive this distinction. These examples broaden the picture of the wider destination with architectural and industrial history; Bell’s own highlights remain its hiking area, local churches and oven-building craft.
Discover more destinations: Rieden
Back to the overview of the wider destination: Mendig.
