The Hunsrück is a popular low mountain range that stretches across the two federal states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. Part of the mountain range is also the Erbeskopf, which reaches 816 metres and is thus the highest mountain in Rhineland-Palatinate.
The Hunsrück forms the southwestern section of the Rhenish Slate Mountains and is therefore one of Germany’s older mountain ranges. Compared to the adjacent Middle Moselle, the Hunsrück has so far had less tourist infrastructure and is therefore considered more untouched. Nevertheless, there are many tourist highlights and accommodation offers in the low mountain range.
Tourist highlights in the Hunsrück
The Hunsrück is characterised by its picturesque landscapes and interesting sights. Hikers also get their money’s worth in the low mountain range, such as on the Ausonius Trail with a length of 118 kilometres. The hiking trail contains numerous forest and field paths that lead through the Hunsrück. For the most part, it goes along the historic Roman road, which connected the Middle Rhine Valley near Bingen with the Upper Moselle near Trier .
Other beautiful long-distance hiking trails are the Soonswaldsteig, the Sponheimer Weg, the Sirona-Weg and the Saar-Hunsrück-Steig.
Numerous tourism highlights can be found on the Hunsrück High Road, the Castle Road, the Hunsrück Slate Road and the German Gemstone Road. These include castles, palaces, museums and churches.
Towns worth seeing in the Hunsrück
One of the best-known towns in the Hunsrück is Idar-Oberstein in the Rhineland-Palatinate district of Birkenfeld. The gemstone city forms a medium-sized centre and is also referred to as a national park city. The German Gemstone Museum, which is located in a Wilhelminian villa, is known as a supra-regional attraction. More than 10,000 exhibits such as diamonds, sculptures and engravings are exhibited on three floors. The vaulted cellar also hosts regular special exhibitions on the subject of gemstones.
A popular resort in the Hunsrück is Hermeskeil. It is located in the Black Forest Hochwald in the Rhineland-Palatinate section of the Saar-Hunsrück Nature Park. The museums of Hermeskeil are particularly interesting, such as the adventure museum “Man and Landscape”, the steam locomotive museum and the Hermeskeil flight exhibition. The latter presents more than one hundred military and civil aircraft in four halls.
Friends of older buildings will get their money’s worth in Kirchberg, whose town hall dates back to the 17th century. Another historic building is the parish church of St. Michael, which is one of the most important and oldest churches in Hunsrück.
The cities and municipalities of Saarburg, Gemünden, Merzig, Mettlach and Losheim am See are also worth a detour.
Castles and palaces in the Hunsrück
The Hunsrück is rich in castles and palaces. Eltz Castle, which can be found in a Moselle side valley between Koblenz and Cochem, is considered particularly beautiful and well preserved. The residential towers of the castle on the small river Eltz reach a height of 35 meters and offer a popular motif for photo shoots.
Another well-known castle is the Kastellaun castle ruins. The lower castle houses the House of History, where multimedia presentations about the past take place. In addition, many medieval performances such as archery or plays are held on the grounds of the castle.
The ruins of Dhaun Castle, which were first mentioned in a document in 1215, date back to the Middle Ages. Ruins of two bastions, the ring wall with its defensive towers, the St. George’s Chapel and the entrance portal of the former palace have been preserved to this day.
The landmark of St. Goar is Rheinfels Castle, which is located on a hill above the Rhine. It is worth hiking to the castle complex, as there is an excellent view over the Hunsrück and the Middle Rhine Valley. In addition, there is an associated museum next to the castle.
Stolzenfels Castle, which is located on the left bank of the Rhine, is of particular beauty. The most attractive sights of the magnificent castle include the palace with its knights’ hall, the Gothic residential tower, the keep, the pergola garden and the gate buildings. In the Knights’ Hall, historical drinking vessels and weapons can be admired. During the tour, however, visitors must put on felt slippers.
Other castles and palaces worth seeing in the Hunsrück are Dagstuhl Castle near Wadern, Gemünden Castle, the Schmidtburg ruins and the Ehrenburg.
Sights in the Hunsrück
Of course, the Hunsrück has other tourist attractions to offer. The region scores with magnificent landscapes and imposing church buildings. The Nahe Valley, which lies between the Soontal, the hilly country of Rheinhessen and the North Palatinate Highlands, is recommended.
The landscape with its wooded heights, idyllic vineyards, rocks and valleys has a lot to offer its visitors, such as Germany’s most extensive castle ruins, Lichtenberg Castle in Thallichtenberg or the Nahe Bridge, the landmark of Bad Kreuznach with its bridge houses that date back to the 15th century. In Bingen, the Rochus Chapel and the Mouse Tower are worth a visit.
The Geierlay suspension rope bridge
The Geierlay pedestrian bridge, which is located between Mörsdorf and Sörsberg, is also one of the attractions of the Hunsrück. The bridge is part of the Geierlay circular trails and has a visitor centre with a bistro. The suspension rope bridge is open all year round and can be entered free of charge. Visitors are offered a fantastic view of the surrounding landscape.
Rheinböllen Zoo
Animal lovers can pay a visit to the Hochwild-Schutzpark Rheinböllen. It has a size of 100 hectares and is located on an idyllic lake. The extensive nature park is easy to hike through. In addition, the wolves can be observed feeding. Some other animals are even allowed to feed visitors by hand.
Sports activities in the Hunsrück
Holiday guests who like to do sports will find various opportunities in the Hunsrück such as the climbing garden on the Erbeskopf, the summer toboggan runs on the Peterberg near Nonnweiler and numerous wonderful routes for cycling. In the winter months, the ski area on the Erbeskopf is available.
