The best MTB trails around Darscheid

A detour is worthwhile

Even in autumn and winter, the Dronketurm offers a stunning view over the Gemündener Maar to the Ernstberg. Hidden away below the Dronketurm (Mouse Tower) is the old Karl Kaufmann Bank.

"Old Station" Schalkenmehren Passenger service between Daun and Wittlich was discontinued on November 1, 1981. Schalkenmehren. Approaching the Old Station in Schalkenmehren on the former railway line, today's Maare-Mosel cycle path, and seeing the station building, it's hard to believe that it was opened as a fourth-class railway station exactly 100 years ago. But how did it all begin 100 years ago? Surveying for the Daun-Wittlich railway line began as early as 1897. General preparatory work for the single-track line began in 1907. But it would take some time before the Daun-Schalkenmehren-Gillenfeld section opened on December 1, 1909, with the line running over the 28-meter-high Daun viaduct and through the 560-meter-long Schalkenmehren railway tunnel, "Großes Schlitzohr" (Great Sly Fox). The extension from Gillenfeld to Manderscheid to Pantenburg was completed on May 1, 1910, and the extension from Manderscheid-Pantenburg to Wittlich, signifying the completion of the entire line, was completed on July 1, 1910. The completion of the Daun-Wittlich railway line brought rapid development to the village of Schalkenmehren. In the first year of the line's existence (1910), 18,968 tickets were sold in Schalkenmehren, followed by 25,057 in 1913, 27,969 in 1919, and even 30,279 in 1922. In addition, Schalkenmehren station was designed for general cargo traffic and the receipt and dispatch of wagonloads. Text / Source: www.volksfreund.de/ https://www.volksfreund.de/region/vulkaneifel/ein-schmuckstueck-fuer-nostalgiker_aid-5712448

Weinfelder Maar - Impressive Evidence of Explosive Geological History The Weinfelder Maar – also known as Totenmaar – is one of the three so-called Daun Maars. It is located about 2 kilometers from our district town of Daun, near the municipality of Schalkenmehren, between the Gemünden and Schalkenmehren Maars. It has a diameter of approximately 525 meters and a depth of 51 meters, making it the deepest of the three Daun Maars. It is the youngest and, at 487 meters above sea level, the highest of the three closely adjacent maars, which formed between 20,000 and 30,000 years ago. Text / Source: Natur- und Geopark Vulkaneifel GmbH, Mainzer Str. 25, Daun https://www.geopark-vulkaneifel.de/eifel/landschaft/maare-und-kraterseen/weinfelder-maar.html

Weinfelder Maar The Weinfelder Maar, formed by volcanic activity around 20,000 to 30,000 years ago, is the highest of the three Daun Maars at 487 meters above sea level. The lake is 51 meters deep and has a diameter of 396 to 429 meters. An almost melancholic atmosphere surrounds the maar. Many legends surround the tranquil Eifel eye. A castle is said to have once stood on the site of the crater, where a count lived with his wife and only child. After returning home from a hunt, the castle had sunk as punishment for the woman's nastiness, and he found only a lake where a cradle miraculously floated his child safely to the shore. If you look at the dark surface of the water long enough, it is said that you can make out the outline of the castle. The German landscape painter Fritz von Wille was so fascinated by the Weinfelder Maar that he repeatedly immortalized it in his paintings. Among his favorite motifs was the small chapel on the north bank, dedicated to Saint Martin. It was once the parish church of the village of Weinfeld, which was ravaged by the plague in the 16th century. Anyone who rings the bells inside by pulling the ropes can make a wish. To this day, the associated cemetery is maintained and used by the local community of Schalkenmehren. This is also where its second name, Totenmaar, comes from. Donkeys and goats have been introduced to the Weinfelder Maar to regulate vegetation. The maar's unique flora and fauna are protected. Swimming and other water sports are prohibited in the Weinfelder Maar, but a nearly two-kilometer-long path makes it a wonderful place to explore on foot. Parking: Guests can park along the L64 either in the parking lot at the Weinfelder Maar or on the Maarsattel between the Weinfelder Maar and the Schalkenmehrener Maar. Text / Source: GesundLand Vulkaneifel GmbH, Leopoldstr. 9 A, 54550 Daun https://www.eifel.info/a-weinfelder-maar

The disused Daun train station was located on the Eifelquerbahn (Eifel Cross Railway) and the Wengerohr–Daun railway line, which was converted into the beautiful Maare-Mosel cycle path. The main building was completed in 1895 and now houses a youth center.

Monument to the founder of the Eifel Association

Here you can take a break when the weather is nice and have another shandy ;-)