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Rhein-Lahn-Kreis

Bad Ems

Malberg viewpoint – View of Bad Ems loop from Bad Ems

Routes

Hiking trails & Routes

Rhein-Lahn-Kreis

Bad Ems

Malberg viewpoint – View of Bad Ems loop from Bad Ems

Moderate

4.7

(194)

597

hikers

Malberg viewpoint – View of Bad Ems loop from Bad Ems

02:18

7.50km

260m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: June 10, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through a protected area

Please check local regulations for:

Nassau

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

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2.08 km

Malberg viewpoint

Highlight • Viewpoint

At this beautiful place you can recover from the exertions of the ascent / descent on the Malberg and enjoy the great view. 😎

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3.51 km

Abandoned Malbergbahn summit station

Highlight • Monument

The history of the Malbergbahn goes back to the founding of the “Malbergbahn Actien-Gesellschaft” in 1886. Only seven months later, on June 5th, 1887, the Malbergbahn and the hotel at the mountain station that was built at the same time went into operation. With a gradient of a maximum of 54.5 percent, it was considered the steepest funicular in Germany and was the epitome of German engineering. The drive principle was very simple: Depending on the number of passengers, the upper wagon was additionally loaded with water in order to pull the lower wagon upwards due to the increased dead weight. The water came from an artificial pond specially created on the mountain, which was fed by pumps from the Lahn.

Up to 400 people a day were transported to the mountain station who visited the mountain area as a local recreation area. The Malbergbahn became a tourist attraction and was a landmark of Bad Ems until it was closed in 1979; most recently over 70,000 passengers were counted. Unfortunately, the city did not have the means to meet the requirements of the TÜV and so it came to the cessation of driving, which had been completely accident-free until then.

In 1981 the Malbergbahn, together with the mountain and valley stations, was listed as an industrial monument.

Due to its remote location, the mountain station has unfortunately been badly destroyed by vandalism, the barriers have been reinforced and renewed, but are not up to the urge to destroy.

Read more: malbergbahn.de

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3.53 km

Obere Malbergstation Bad Ems

Highlight • Viewpoint

In the glory days of the spa town of Bad Ems, a cog railway that ran up the Malberg mountain on the Taunus side of the Lahn River ended here. The mountain and valley stations are still there today, and hikers can still make out the tracks even in a few sections through the forest. While a café has been installed at the valley station, the mountain station can only be described as completely neglected. As it appears today to the passing hiker, it is an eyesore for Bad Ems.

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3.74 km

View of Bad Ems and the Lahn Valley from the Malberg bench

Highlight • Viewpoint

At the exposed bend in the path on the Malberg there is still an old bench from the former spa hiking trail.
Today it is used more as a party location by polluters who have the strength to drag the grill, grilled food and drinks up the mountain, but later cannot take the rubbish with them despite having refreshments.

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3.95 km

View of the Abandoned Malbergbahn Railway

Highlight • Historical Site

On the ascent from the banks of the Lahn River to Malberg, there is a point where hikers cross the tracks of the former cog railway on a bridge. Even today, one can still appreciate how steep this section is, and cannot help but admire the engineering skills of bygone times that planned and implemented the safe ascent and descent.

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5.32 km

View of Bad Ems

Highlight • Viewpoint

Past the Schweizerhaus, which has not been able to live up to its former glory since the Malbergbahn was closed, a serpentine path leads up and down and offers numerous views of Bad Ems.

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6.37 km

Bad Ems Casino

Highlight • Monument

Bad Ems is a city worth seeing.

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6.43 km

Bad Ems Spa Bridge

Highlight • Bridge

Definitely not a "bridge over troubled water," to quote Simon and Garfunkel, but a flower-decorated crossing of the Lahn with a view of the fountain in the middle of the river and, in part, even the sophisticated facades from the spa town's heyday.

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7.50 km

End point

Parking

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

3.34 km

2.67 km

782 m

556 m

152 m

Surfaces

4.53 km

1.85 km

435 m

359 m

241 m

< 100 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Highest point (320 m)

Lowest point (80 m)

Weather

Tuesday 23 June

36°C

17°C

0 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 10.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

November 10, 2024,Malbergturm – Verlassene Bergbahnstation Runde von Bad Ems

Short tour in unfortunately foggy weather. Now it's time to relax in the thermal baths 😉

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November 19, 2023,Lahntal-Bad Ems-Malbergbahn

Bad Ems, UNESCO World Heritage Site, worth a visit, a hike, the buildings are very beautiful. The ravages of time have gnawed at it. Some of it is vacant or used as refugee accommodation 🇺🇦. The views are rewarding. The last leaves are falling from the trees. The shortest day is approaching.

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February 9, 2025,Malbergskopf - verlassene Bergbahnstation - Bad Ems

Took a wrong turn once & lost GPS signal once. Cool tour, nice paths and quite good uphill 🥾🐩

Showing Translation

January 4, 2023,Malbergbahn Tour Bad Ems

The Malbergbahn, once the epitome of German engineering, the steepest funicular in the world and a tourist attraction - today the valley station is an industrial monument, the upper mountain station Lost Place is mysterious, abandoned and forgotten. An ingeniously simple principle controlled the drive of the train to the 334m high Malbergskopf: Depending on the number of passengers, the …

Showing Translation

January 8, 2023,Wanderung nach Historische Malbergbahn

After seeing the tour of "Ev", I had to go there too. Very interesting. Unfortunately, Cafe Eckstein in the valley station was closed. This will be open again in the spring.

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July 2, 2023,Wanderung (Rundwanderweg): Verlassene Malbergbahn / Bad Ems

The gate starts and ends on the island of Silberau at the building of the Verbandsgemeinde near the Bad Ems West train station on the Lahntal route LAH, Koblenz Hbf - Limburg.
Parking spaces can be found on the island of Silberau.

Enjoy your time.

Showing Translation

October 23, 2022,Malberg Probewandern III

Today the romantic tour was on the plan.
My personal highlight was the Lost Place at the mountain station of the Malbergbahn.
On the way, the streams of the last night's thunderstorm could be seen. Cool.

Showing Translation

April 25, 2023,Spaziergang Bad Ems - Malbergskopf

Walk past the historic Malbergbahn, which was shut down in 1979. On easily passable paths it goes up to the Malberturm, which offers a great view of Bad Ems. The way back runs always with a view of the Bad Ems weir to the city, finally past the Emser Therme.

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Malberg viewpoint – View of Bad Ems loop from Bad Ems

Malberg viewpoint

Abandoned Malbergbahn summit station

Obere Malbergstation Bad Ems

View of Bad Ems and the Lahn Valley from the Malberg bench

View of the Abandoned Malbergbahn Railway

View of Bad Ems

Bad Ems Casino

Bad Ems Spa Bridge

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