At Giesenheld, fine-grained volcanic ash, lapilli containing mica crystals and solidified basalt columns come to the fore. Dohm-Lammersdorf is also home to a surviving wall from the former castle complex and historic churches in Dohm and Lammersdorf. These varied themes give a stay a clear focus: geology, local history and sacred art can all be explored through specific details.
Geology at Giesenheld
The Giesenheld geological outcrop lies on the edge of Dohm. Fine-grained volcanic ash and lapilli containing mica crystals are exposed there. Higher up the slope, basalt flows from the volcanic vent and secondary craters can be seen as solidified columns. Giesenheld is outcrop point 3 on the Geo-Pfad and is considered a popular attraction for hikers and visitors. Fine volcanic material and columnar solidified basalt offer two distinct aspects of the area’s geology.
The Vulkaneifel provides a regional context. So far, 77 maars have been identified there; 350 eruption centres have also been counted, around 270 of them from the more recent phase. These figures offer another perspective on volcanism, while Giesenheld focuses attention on specific rock formations in the area.
Castle remains and local history
A castle once stood on Dohm’s Kirchenberg. A curved rubble-stone wall survives from the complex, around four metres high and about 20 metres long. Dohm is first mentioned in 1301; the reference relates to a feudal relationship with the knight Fridericus von Daun and his service at Manderscheid Castle. A deed of donation dated 15 August 1454 mentions the village in connection with Arnold von Densborn.
Church art in Dohm and Lammersdorf
St Remigius in Dohm has a partly Romanesque tower; its upper sections date from 1862. Around 15 grave crosses from the 17th to the 19th century are located at the church site, along with a sandstone shaft cross dated 1846. The furnishings include a Rococo altar and a 17th-century limewood statue of Saint Roch.
St Luke’s in Lammersdorf has a three-storey late medieval chancel tower. Inside are a wooden column altar from the early 18th century with a statue of Saint Luke, as well as wooden statues of the Virgin Mary and Saint Anthony from the 17th century. Christian symbols adorn the wooden entrance door on the ground floor of the bell tower of the Lammersdorf Chapel of St Luke. A chapel in Lammersdorf is documented as a subsidiary church as early as 1316; it may have been a predecessor of the present church. The current nave is believed to date from 1795.
Hiking, cycling and regional dining
The Eifelsteig and the Geo-Pfad are listed as hiking options in Dohm-Lammersdorf; cycling options include the Kylltal Cycle Path. The Kyll flows through Dohm-Lammersdorf; the municipality is one of the 15 local municipalities through which the river runs in the Gerolsteiner Land. A regional cycling tour follows the Kyll Cycle Path past Dohm-Lammersdorf and lists MĂĽllich's Hof as a stop for Eifel specialities and homemade cakes. This makes it easy to consider geological discoveries, architectural history and cycling as different interests when planning a trip.
Discover more destinations: Loogh, Bolsdorf, Kerpen, Ăśxheim, Oberbettingen, Basberg, Berndorf, Oberehe-Stroheich.
Back to the main travel overview: Hillesheim.
