When planning your trip, it is worth distinguishing between Bereborn as a specific local destination and the Volcanic Eifel as a broader travel destination. In Bereborn, the Elzbach source area and the town crest take centre stage; the wider region offers geological features and additional hiking options.
The Elz Spring and the Town Crest
The source area west of Bereborn can be reached via several hiking trails. Several small streams called the Elzbach rise there and join together near Bereborn. The longest source branch is marked “Elzquelle” (Elz Spring) next to a field track. The Elz Spring lies beside a rural path, is bordered by fieldstones, and is a small, signposted walking destination in the local area. Check the condition of the paths and the signage on site.
Bereborn’s official coat of arms features seven red diamonds in reference to the former County of Virneburg. A draw well represents the suffix “born”, whose local meaning includes “spring” or “well”. The town emblem thus points both to a historical connection and to the linguistic interpretation of the name.
The Volcanic Eifel: Geological Context
In the wider Volcanic Eifel, 77 maars have been identified to date and 350 eruption centres counted; about 270 of these belong to the more recent phase. The Ulmen Maar marks the most recent volcanic eruption in the Volcanic Eifel, which occurred around 10,900 years ago. These figures provide an overview of the region’s diversity and the chronology of its volcanism.
Individual maar lakes can also be classified by their different features: the Windsborn crater lake near Bettenfeld is the only natural crater lake north of the Alps. Gemünden Maar has a water surface of about seven hectares and is the smallest of the three famous “Eyes of the Eifel”.
Hiking and Cycling in the Volcanic Eifel
The Volcanic Eifel trails lead to scenic highlights on either side of the Eifelsteig. They are marked and signposted, and include half-day hikes, day hikes and multi-day hikes. Two specific routes differ both in length and in form: the Vulcano Trail is a 26.2-kilometre circular route east of Schalkenmehren. The eleventh stage of the Eifelsteig runs from Daun to Manderscheid and is 23.4 kilometres long. So when choosing a route, it is not just the distance that matters, but also whether you are looking for a circular route or a stage with named start and end points.
For mountain biking, the Volcanic Eifel Trail Park has a network of around 750 kilometres of trails with more than 17,500 metres of elevation gain. In addition to hiking, the Volcanic Eifel also offers dedicated cycling routes.
Volcanism in the Museum
The Eifel Volcano Museum in Daun displays three-dimensional landscape models of cinder cones, maars and mineral springs, as well as exhibits on West Eifel volcanism. The interactive Strohn Volcano House presents, among other things, a lava fissure wall around 30,000 years old, approximately six metres long and four metres high. The examples differ in how they are presented: Daun focuses on models and exhibits, while Strohn showcases a specific geological formation.
Discover more destinations: BrĂĽcktal, Katzwinkel, Drees, Berenbach, Nitz, Gunderath, Mosbruch, Borler.
For the broader travel overview: Kelberg.
