Photo: Naheland-Touristik GmbH, Foto Moritz Attenberger
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An der Ruine Hellkirch
Photo: Naheland-Touristik GmbH, Foto Moritz Attenberger
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Eingang zum Schiefer-Besucherbergwerk Herrenberg
Photo: Naheland-Touristik GmbH, Foto Moritz Attenberger
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Rast an der Ruine Hellkirch
Photo: Naheland-Touristik GmbH, Foto Moritz Attenberger
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Felsentunnel im Hahnenbachtal
Photo: Naturpark Soonwald-Nahe e. V., Foto Moritz Attenberger
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Wassererlebnispfad im Hahnenbachtal
Photo: Verbandsgemeinde Kirn-land
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Photo: Wandermagazin, W & A Marketing & Verlag GmbH
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Palisadenzaun Keltensiedlung Altburg
Photo: Klaus-Peter Kappest, CC BY, 'Wanderbüro Saar-Hunsrück
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Rekonstruierte Keltensiedlung Altburg
Photo: Klaus-Peter Kappest, CC BY, Wanderbüro Saar-Hunsrück
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Brücke zur mittelalterlichen Schmidtburg
Photo: Klaus-Peter Kappest, CC BY, Wanderbüro Saar-Hunsrück
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Picknick auf der Schmidtburg
Photo: Klaus-Peter Kappest, CC BY, Wanderbüro Saar-Hunsrück
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Schieferspalten am Besucherbergwerk Herrenberg
Photo: Daniela Andres
IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to the current corona situation, it is absolutely necessary to walk the dream loop ONLY IN THE RECOMMENDED DIRECTION to avoid encounter traffic!
Welcome to the valley of the millennia: On partly narrow paths and meadow paths, the very varied tour, often accompanied by the Hahnenbach, leads through woods, meadows and open wide open spaces. In between are cultural highlights: a fossil museum, the Herrenberg visitor mine, the reconstructed Celtic settlement of Altburg, the ruins of Hellkirch and the extensive Schmidtburg castle complex, which towers above everything else. In 2012, the readers of WANDERMAGAZIN voted the Traumschleife "Germany's most beautiful hiking trail". It is also one of the TOP 10 of Germany's highest rated premium circular hiking trails.Current information: the Altburg and the kiosk at the Besucherberwerk will be open again on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 11 June 2020 (Corpus Christi). An overview of the current situation can be found at www.edelsteinland.de. For safety reasons, the Herrenberg slate visitor mine must remain closed until further notice! YOUR TOURIST INFORMATION EdelSteinLand, Herrstein and Idar-Oberstein
moderate
9.4 km
4:00 h
218 m
218 m
The first peak is quickly reached. In the Herrenberg visitor mine you can gain an insight into the arduous work of the slate crushers. A sign: "The mountain shall keep its secret" reminds of the film work in the mine for Edgar Reitz's home cycle. Not far from the visitor mine is the open-air museum "Celtic settlement Altburg" with reconstructed houses of a former Celtic hilltop settlement. On the descent into the Hahnenbach Valley through the Rennwald forest it gets quiet. In the later ascent, 60 metres above the valley, the ruins of Hellkirch stand, where you can enjoy the magnificent view of the valley from a sensory lounger. Once again we head into the Hahnenbach Valley, where old 19th-century boundary stones remind us of the historic border path between the Kingdom of Prussia (KP) and the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg (GO). Along the Hahnenbach Valley Water Adventure Trail with a bank swing at the pond, the former Götzenau grinding mill is passed. A stone bridge leads to the extensive grounds of the medieval Schmidtburg, once one of the most important castle complexes in the Hunsrück-Nahe region. Another wooden bridge leads to the Hotel-Restaurant Forellenhof Reinhardtsmühle. The last section of the tour winds its way up in serpentines. Two rock tunnels and old railway track remains remind us of the extraction and removal of slate and lead-zinc candles from the "Friedrichsfeld" mine in the 1940s and 50s.Alternative: A 7 km long family tour includes all the highlights and eliminates the odd gradient.
Author’s recommendation
Be sure to allow some time to visit the many attractive sights.
Author
EdelSteinLand, www.edelsteinland.de
Updated: December 28, 2020
Difficulty
moderate
Technique
Stamina
Experience
Landscape
Highest point
385 m
Lowest point
255 m
Best time of year
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Safety information
Die Traumschleifen haben teilweise steile, schwierige und bei Regen- oder Winterwetter rutschige Passagen. Deshalb sind Wanderschuhe, Trittsicherheit und gute Kondition unbedingte Voraussetzungen zum Erwandern dieser Premiumrundwanderwege.
Car park at Herrenberg visitor mine at 55626 Bundenbach, Layebrecherweg (339 m)
Coordinates:
DD
49.846963, 7.385259
DMS
49°50'49.1"N 7°23'06.9"E
UTM
32U 383911 5522866
w3w
///deferral.spots.poach
Destination
Car park at the Herrenberg visitor mine at 55626 Bundenbach
Turn-by-turn directions
The hike can be started from several places: Visitors' car park at Herrenberg Visitors' Mine (located directly along the trail), Wacholderheide leisure centre near Woppenroth, hiker's car park in Schneppenbach.From the starting point at the visitor car park, we first follow our markings and the Soonwald-Steig trail to the Herrenberg visitor mine and the fossil museum. For the little hikers, the playground at the visitors' mine is very attractive. The trail continues uphill past the reconstructed Celtic settlement of Altburg for about 500 m, before we hike from the highest point of the route down to the Hahnenbach. The Sinsenbach slate dump is evidence of the mining tradition in the Hahnenbach valley. From there we have a wonderful view of the valley meadows and can enjoy the silence of the landscape before a path leads us right into the Rennwald forest. After a short distance we reach the footbridge over the Hahnenbach. Then we walk upstream along the edge of the forest before the short climb to the ruins of Hellkirch begins. The ruins of Hellkirch are situated on a hilltop about 60 m above the valley. From there we enjoy the view of the Hahnenbach valley and a part of the path already covered. A seating area invites us to take a break. Whether the ruin served as a church centuries ago or as a lookout point has not yet been extensively researched.A steep path now leads us down the narrow ridge for about 300 m. We now follow the natural forest path towards Schmidtburg Castle. Boundary stones from the 19th century bear witness to the former importance of the path: GO = Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, KP = Kingdom of Prussia. Today the borders of the districts of Rhine-Hunsrück, Bad Kreuznach and Birkenfeld meet here.After crossing a small stream we reach the water adventure trail Hahnenbachtal. We follow this path past the former grinding mill Göttenau and the "Devil's Slide" to the ruins of the mighty Schmidtburg, which already served as a hiding place for the robber captain Schinderhannes. The Schmidtburg was once one of the oldest and most important castle complexes in the Hunsrück-Nahe region. Visits are free all year round. From the castle we enjoy the views of the valley of the millennia, as the Hahnenbach Valley is also called in this section.From the Schmidtburg we hike down to the Hahnenbach. Down the stream we cross a bridge to the other side of the stream and reach the Forellenhof Reinhartsmühle. The path leads us uphill in serpentines. We hike through rock tunnels, which were once used to transport slate and enjoy several delightful views of the mighty Schmidtburg and the Altburg Castle above. After a short ascent we are back at the start. Don't miss the short ascent to "Dickheck", just to the right of the hiking trail. From here you can enjoy another fantastic view of the valley and its sights.
Note
all notes on protected areas
Public transport
Kirn railway station, Rhein-Nahe bus 352 to Bundenbach (Mon-Fri), www.rnn.info
Getting there
A61 exit Bad Kreuznach, direction Idar-Oberstein/Kirn, B41 to exit Kirn/West L183, continue L182 to BundenbachA1 exit Otzenhausen, A62 direction Pirmasens/Kaiserslautern to Birkenfeld exit, continue on B269/B41 to Kirn, L182 to Bundenbach
Parking
Car park at Herrenberg visitor mine near Bundenbach, Layebrecherweg, Wachholderheide leisure centre near Woppenroth, Schneppenbach hiking car park
Coordinates
DD
49.846963, 7.385259
DMS
49°50'49.1"N 7°23'06.9"E
UTM
32U 383911 5522866
w3w
///deferral.spots.poach
Arrival by train, car, foot or bike
Book recommendation by the author
Unterwegs im Traumschleifenland Band 4
Wanderführer von Günter Schmitt mit 29 Traumschleifen auf 188 Seiten.
Band 4, 1. Auflage 2015, Verlag: Public Press
Schöneres Wandern: Traumschleifen Saar-Hunsrück, Band 3
Traumschleifen Saar-Hunsrück - Band 3 - Schöneres Wandern Pocket mit Karten und GPS-Daten
16 Premium-Rundwanderungen zwischen Mosel, Rhein und Saar
Autoren: Wolfgang Todt und Ulrike Poller
Erscheinungsjahr: Mai 2013
Hiking boots required!Our tips for carefree hiking pleasure:Hiking is the perfect sport. With the right clothing and the right shoes it is twice as much fun. Functional clothing, poles and breathable rucksacks are comfortable when hiking. But good shoes are indispensable. Sturdy jogging or leisure shoes are only suitable for short distances on level paths at best. For longer distances we recommend sturdy hiking boots with non-slip soles. Also remember to bring sun protection and a drink. One litre of water is ideal.
Sehr schöne Tour. Stellenweise etwas rutschig, was aber der Witterung geschuldet war. Unser GPS kam auf 11,5km und nicht wie angegeben auf 9,4km. Das sollte bedacht werden.
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