Luxem can be explored for trip planning through two specific themes: the village’s history, including its chapel and historic buildings, and the recurring events throughout the year. Its location in the Vordereifel and its agricultural character also help put the village in context.

Historic Buildings and Local History

At Schulstraße 4 stands a Streckhof, a partly solid half-timbered building dating from the 18th century. It adds a residential and agricultural building of this type to the local architectural record. At the edge of Luxem, on the road toward Weiler, stands a niche wayside shrine dating from 1680. The first chapel in Luxem was built in 1686. The two dates are just six years apart and refer to different buildings.

The chapel’s history can also be traced through several points in time. During the night of March 24, 1966, a side wall of the old chapel collapsed. The Baroque altar had been moved to safety beforehand and was reinstalled in the newly built chapel. Windows, doors and parts of the old chapel’s pews were also reused in the new building. The chapel’s history therefore includes both the turning point of 1966 and the reuse of older elements.

The chapel houses a statue of the Madonna and Child from the early 19th century, as well as Baroque wooden statues of John the Baptist and Saint Roch. A small organ was installed there in 1883. The different dates place the statues and the organ in separate periods of the chapel’s history; they do not all date from the same time. Finds from the Roman period also indicate that Luxem was settled in antiquity. The timeline of the village’s history therefore reaches further back than the evidence from the chapel’s architectural history.

Village Festival and Kermis Throughout the Year

There are two recurring events to consider when choosing when to visit: the village festival takes place every year at the end of June in the village community center. It is organized by the Schützenkapelle, a music association within the shooting club. The shooting club is the largest association in the village. The kermis takes place on the third weekend in July. The two events therefore fall at different times of summer; if you are planning your trip around a particular event, it is worth checking the latest announcements.

Location and Landscape

Luxem lies in the center of the Vordereifel collective municipality, around 10 kilometers west of Mayen. The municipality is agricultural in character, lies 440 meters above sea level and is set amid the Eifel landscape. These details place Luxem within the region, while the chapel, the Streckhof and the recurring festivals are the local highlights.

Culture in the Wider Mayen-Koblenz Destination

The wider Mayen-Koblenz destination also offers a range of cultural and historical attractions. Genovevaburg Castle 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. In Mendig, the Lava-Dome is the German Volcano Museum. The castle’s history, industrial heritage and volcano museum thus offer different points of interest within the Mayen-Koblenz destination.

Discover more destinations: Langenfeld, Weiler, Anschau

View the wider travel guide: Vordereifel.