Discover Birkenfeld
Accommodation in Birkenfeld
Birkenfeld offers a range of options for a trip that combines nature watching, cycling and culture. If you are looking for a hotel for your stay, you can start by weighing up which interests you want to shape your itinerary.
Nature: Arnica meadows, moorland and aquatic life
Part of the Hunsrück-Hochwald National Park lies within the Birkenfeld collective municipality. The 1.6-kilometre National Park Island Trail loops around Börfink and Thranenweier. Information boards cover the rare and endangered arnica meadows, how they formed and how they are protected, as well as local biodiversity. The Ochsenbruch is another landscape highlight: this species-rich moor lies between Börfink and the Erbeskopf and gave the Börfink Ox Trail its name.
The Upper Nahe Water Discovery Trail in Hoppstädten-Weiersbach is one kilometre long and has four access points. It focuses on aquatic life in the Upper Nahe, including barbel and gudgeon, as well as water birds such as kingfishers and dippers. Dragonfly species such as the common damselfly and river clubtail are also among the trail’s topics.
The “In the Land of Kites, Storks and Co.” nature trail has 18 stops around Niederhambach, Schmißberg and Rimsberg. Near Schmißberg there is an aviary with the stork pair Lotte and Bernie. The trail also provides information about the habitats of red kites, black storks and other species. This means that habitats, as well as individual animal species, are a central focus.
Cycling routes in different directions
The RadLust WasserTräume Loop starts in Birkenfeld and continues via Brücken and Abentheuer. It passes a historic ironworks and then runs along the edge of the national park, following the old ore road towards the Saarland border. On the Nahe Cycle Route stage, the Environmental Campus in Hoppstädten-Weiersbach is a waypoint; the route then continues to Birkenfeld. The routes described therefore differ, among other things, in their landmarks and direction.
Culture and history
The Birkenfeld State Museum has permanent exhibitions on the Celts and Romans; Birkenfeld and the Wittelsbach family; ironworks in the Birkenfeld district; an old classroom from around 1930; and the Oldenburg period. The subjects range from ancient cultures and regional political history to industrial history and everyday school life. A visit to the State Museum is recommended for the Nahe Cycle Route stage in Birkenfeld.
Another cultural stop is the 2.5-kilometre Avenue of the Gods between the local municipalities of Schwollen and Leisel. It features ten colourful, life-size figures of gods. Historical traces can also be found at the Sauerbrunnen springs and Petersquelle spring on the B 269, at the exit for Oberhambach: a spa house once stood there. Princes and kings from across Europe came to the HunsrĂĽck to recuperate.
When planning your trip, you can decide how much to focus on nature, cycling and culture, depending on what you would like to combine during your stay. The trail lengths also offer a concrete basis for comparison: the Water Discovery Trail is one kilometre long, the National Park Island Trail is 1.6 kilometres, and the Avenue of the Gods is 2.5 kilometres. Together with the different themes, these details can help you choose your destinations.
Discover more destinations: Oberhambach, Sulzbach / HunsrĂĽck, Kempfeld, Horbruch, Schwollen, Herrstein, Stipshausen, Sensweiler, Bruchweiler, Leisel, Allenbach, Bundenbach, Oberkirn, Weiden.
View the regional travel overview: Rhineland-Palatinate.
