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Hiking Trail recommended route Stage 9

Westerwald-Steig Stage 9: Hachenburg - Limbach (East - West)

· 5 reviews · Hiking Trail · Westerwald
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  • Kleine Holzbachschlucht bei Hachenburg
    Kleine Holzbachschlucht bei Hachenburg
    Photo: Dominik Ketz, Westerwald - Ganz nach deiner Natur!

This stage of the trail starts with a trip back in time in the museum of natural and cultural history, followed by a stroll through the town of the double-tailed lion and then on to the Cistercian abbey at Marienstatt.

moderate
Distance 10.8 km
3:05 h
116 m
248 m
372 m
231 m

The trail leaves the town through the gardens of Hachenburg Castle. It continues down into the second Holzbach gorge on the Westerwald-Steig trail. The trail follows the edge of Nister to the mill, which Konrad Adenauer used as a hiding place during the Nazi era. Following the river, the trail soon arrives at Marienstatt Abbey. It then passes Streithausen to reach the Kleine Nister River, which follows the path as far as Limbach, where there is a local museum to visit.

Author’s recommendation

For culture vultures: visit the Westerwald museum of natural and cultural history in Hachenburg
For car lovers: visit the Cadillac museum in Hachenburg
For beer lovers: visit the Westerwald brewery in Hachenburg or the beer gardens at Marienstatt Abbey
For herb lovers: stroll through the gardens at Marienstatt Abbey

Profile picture of Michael Sterr
Author
Michael Sterr
Update: April 05, 2023
Difficulty
moderate
Stamina
Experience
Landscape
Highest point
372 m
Lowest point
231 m
Best time of year
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Track types

Asphalt 8.32%Dirt road 6.25%Forested/wild trail 39.55%Path 5.06%Unknown 40.79%
Asphalt
0.9 km
Dirt road
0.7 km
Forested/wild trail
4.3 km
Path
0.5 km
Unknown
4.4 km
Show elevation profile

Rest stops

Gelateria Brustolon - Ice cream parlour
Borak Kebap House
Pizzeria Da Peppe
Café Latsch / Bakery Weinbrenner
Backhaus Hehl - Löwencafe Hehl
Pizzeria Westend
White Horse Inn
Parkhotel Hachenburg
Country Hotel Stockhausen
Marienstatter Brewery

Safety information

Wear sturdy shoes and appropriate, weatherproof clothing that protects you from cold and wet or heat and sun.Take enough liquid with you. There are not always places to stop for refreshments.Please wear walking shoes appropriate for the trail, which will give you sufficient grip even on slippery and steep or rocky and uneven paths.If you are of the opinion that certain sections of the trail are not passable for you, then you should avoid them. Especially in adverse weather conditions, muddy and slippery passages can occur on natural paths.Especially in autumn, you should also be aware that leaves lying on the ground can hide uneven surfaces, roots, stones or holes in the path. You must expect path impairments of this kind when you undertake a hike.Although the trail is very well marked throughout, you should always have a suitable hiking map with you for safety reasons.

Tips and hints

www.hachenburg-vg.de

Start

Hachenburg (363 m)
Coordinates:
DD
50.661615, 7.822073
DMS
50°39'41.8"N 7°49'19.5"E
UTM
32U 416746 5612858
w3w 
///arachnid.director.dread
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Destination

Limbach

Turn-by-turn directions

The Westerwald-Steig trail leaves Hachenburg through the historical town centre and the castle gardens, crosses the railway line and offers yet another wonderful view of the Siebengebirge mountain range. The trail now descends through the second Holzbach gorge on the Westerwald-Steig trail, crossing the River Nister and following the village of Nister towards the mill, where it crosses the river once again. A plaque commemorates the fact that Konrad Adenauer briefly hid here during the Nazi era. Continue following the river to reach Marienstatt Abbey, which enjoys a good reputation in the Nister Valley. From 1476 the abbey, founded in the 12th century, was ordered by Count von Sayn to open to lay people for three days every week. This marked the beginning of pilgrimages to the abbey. The Marienwanderweg (Mary’s hiking trail) between Marienstatt Abbey and Marienthal also has its origins in this period. Today, the monastery has a brewery with a beer garden and a hikers' car park and attracts many visitors, particularly at weekends. Walk past the abbey's ancient beech and oak trees and climb about 200m to reach another viewing point. The trail then passes Streithausen to reach the Kleine Nister River, which follows the trail as far as Limbach. Here you can visit the local museum as well as the town's many restaurants.
Access paths (marking: green W on a yellow background)

Public transport

Train from Cologne or Limburg to Hachenburg
Train to the ICE station at Montabaur, bus to ‘Hachenburg Altstadt’: bus no. 115
Return journey from Limbach to Hachenburg: by taxi to the train stop at Hattert and then with the Oberwesterwaldbahn train from Au-Limburg to Hachenburg
www.bahn.de
www.vectus-online.de
www.rmv-bus.de

By road

From the south: via the B8 to Höchstenbach and then continue on the B413 towards Hachenburg
From the north: via the B414 to the Hachenburg exit

Parking

Hachenburg, Westerwald museum of natural and cultural history (Leipziger Str. 1)

Coordinates

DD
50.661615, 7.822073
DMS
50°39'41.8"N 7°49'19.5"E
UTM
32U 416746 5612858
w3w 
///arachnid.director.dread
Show on Map
Arrival by train, car, foot or bike

Book recommendation by the author

- Abenteuer Westerwald-Steig, hiking guide with detailed route outlines and elevation profile, 224 pages, ISBN 978-3-93569-064-5, €12.80 - Westerwald-Steig, Schöneres Wandern Pocket, 17 half-day and full-day walks in a pocket-size map, publisher: ideemedia-Verlag, ISBN 978-3-934342-25-5, €10.95 - Rother Wanderführer Westerwald-Steig, publisher: Bergverlag Rother GmbH, from Herborn to Bad Hönningen, 112 pages with 58 colour illustrations, 16 elevation profiles, 16 1:50 000 scale hiking maps, 6 street maps, one small-scale map, ISBN 978-3-7633-4376-8, €10.90

Author’s map recommendations

- Wanderkarte-Leporello Westerwald-Steig, hiking map with GPS data and tips for day trips, rest stops and leisure activities, map size (w x h): 18 x 20 cm, 39 pages in total, including 29 pages of maps, ISBN 978-3-89920-461-2, €8.95 - Official WesterWaldSteig trail map for hikers and holidaymakers, 1:50 000 scale map, LVermGeo Rheinland-Pfalz, ISBN 978-3-89637-406-6, €8.50

Equipment

Hiking boots/shoes
Suitable weatherproof clothing


Questions and answers

Question from Karin Schäfer · December 05, 2019 · Community
Bei Nister gibt es immer noch eine Umleitung auf unbestimmte Zeit, die auch markiert ist. Hat das noch etwas wegen mit den Baumfällarbeiten zu tun die hier im November angegeben wurden oder ist es wegen etwas anderem? Die Wanderung vom Kloster nach Hachenburg verkürzt sich dadurch. Bei der TI in Hachenburg konnte man mir dazu keine Auskunft geben. Wäre schön wenn mir jemand eine Antwort geben könnte bzw. das bei der Etappe irgendwo offiziell ver- merkt oder die Wegführung dort ändert wenn es von Dauer sein sollte. Danke
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Hallo Karin, die Umleitung war bis gestern immer noch wegen der Baumfällarbeiten eingerichtet. Wir haben heute die Meldung vom Wegemanagement erhalten, dass die Umleitung aufgehoben und der Weg ab sofort wieder freigegeben ist. Wir wünschen dir eine schöne Adventszeit und ein glückliches neues Jahr mit vielen erlebnisreichen (Westerwald-)Wanderungen :) Herzliche Grüße, Katrin Cramer (Westerwald Touristik-Service)

Rating

4.2
(5)
Ariane Funk
November 08, 2020 · Community
Eine sehr schöne Etappe mit einigen Sehenswürdigkeiten.
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Jörg Wagner 
April 29, 2020 · Community
When did you do this route? April 26, 2020
Marc-Andre Scheyer
July 12, 2016 · Community
When did you do this route? June 12, 2016
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Photos from others


Reviews
Difficulty
moderate
Distance
10.8 km
Duration
3:05 h
Ascent
116 m
Descent
248 m
Highest point
372 m
Lowest point
231 m
Multi-stage route Refreshment stops available Family-friendly Cultural/historical interest

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  • 27 Waypoints
  • 27 Waypoints
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