Nickenich brings together Roman monuments, tree culture and a landscape shaped by volcanic activity. When planning your visit, you can first choose your focus: Roman burial monuments, the different perspectives offered by the Celtic Tree Circle and the tree avenue, or a route based on its length. This turns your choice of destination into a concrete decision between culture and activity, without cramming every theme into the same tour.

Roman Monuments and Knowledge About Trees

The tumulus in Nickenich is a Roman tomb. Its elaborate circular stone structure was built from tuff from the Meurin Roman Mine. The Roman funerary stele at the Nickenich sports field was also unveiled in 2010. Those interested in Roman burial monuments can encounter two different forms here: a circular stone structure and a funerary stele.

The Celtic Tree Circle conveys some of the ancient Celtic knowledge about trees, including the qualities attributed to them and the division of the year into periods of time. From the Keller Kreuz/Heimschule car park, a path of about 100 metres leads to the site, where there is an information board and benches. The Nickenich tree avenue is 100 metres from the Tree Circle. It includes the ginkgo, the “Tree of the Millennium,” and the “Trees of the Year” from 2000 onwards; information boards share facts about remarkable trees. The two stops have different focuses: the Tree Circle centres on traditional interpretations and periods of time, while the tree avenue focuses on individual remarkable trees.

Volcanic Landscape and Trails

Nickenich lies on the edge of the “Laacher See” nature reserve. Eppelsberg is a volcanic natural monument in Nickenich. The deposits that make up the hill originate from five different volcanic eruption phases. The Eppelsberg viewpoint can be reached after about 2 kilometres along a gently uphill forest path, with information boards about volcanism along the way. The viewpoint thus connects the landscape with the geological history of how Eppelsberg was formed.

The “Pellenzer Seepfad” Dream Trail offers a different kind of route: it is 16 kilometres long and has an elevation difference of 594 metres. Starting car parks are located at Hotel Burgklause, the Kultur- und Infoscheune, the tumulus and Keller Kreuz. The distance and elevation difference give you two key details to help decide whether this route fits your day’s plans.

For shorter distances, there are three circular trails to choose from: the “Nickenicher Hochwald” is 7 kilometres long, “Rund um den Hummerich” is 9 kilometres and “Von Aare Weg” is 9.5 kilometres. The Hochwald is the shortest of the three; the longest circular trail is 2.5 kilometres longer. The other two routes are close in length, at 9 and 9.5 kilometres.

Nickenich in the Mayen-Koblenz Destination

Larger route connections also help put Nickenich in context: it lies on the “German Volcano Route” and the “Roman Road.” The wider Mayen-Koblenz destination offers further historical and volcanological highlights: Genovevaburg Castle in Mayen was built in 1280 by Heinrich von Finstingen, Archbishop of Trier; the Lava-Dome in Mendig is the German Volcano Museum.

For your stay, the local highlights can help you decide: Roman burial monuments, the different tree-related themes, or a choice between circular trails and the Dream Trail. This lets you tailor your time in Nickenich to the interests you want to focus on during your trip.

Discover more destinations: Gappenach, Nachtsheim, Baar, Nitztal, Welschenbach, Löf, Urbar, Ditscheid

To the overview of destinations: Mayen-Koblenz.