The municipality of Windhagen, with its twelve individual localities, covers 1,494 hectares in the north of the Rhine-Westerwald Nature Park, just under 30 kilometres southeast of Bonn. Local history, chapels and signposted hiking trails offer several possible focuses for your stay. Windhagen is also right next to the A3, providing a clear landmark for your journey.
Local history between the church and a former mine
At the centre of the village, the Catholic parish church of St. Bartholomew is the focal point. It was built in 1869–1870 to simplified plans by Vincent Statz of Cologne. The Trinity Chapel in Hallerbach has a different building history: a complete renovation is documented as early as 1450, so the chapel is probably considerably older. The approximately six-metre-long, white-plastered building ends in three sides of an octagon. A slate-roofed bell tower rises above the gabled roof, housing a 50-kilogram bronze bell cast by Schippang in Neuwied in 1852.
The former silver mine just outside Birkens also bears witness to the municipality’s history. The entrances to the tunnels, dug around 1790, are still clearly visible. Information boards stand on the old Günterscheid path below the fishpond complex. Another way to explore local history is the “Trail of History and Stories”: since 2018, information signs at eight locations so far in the municipality have marked stops along the route. They explain the significance and history of the respective monuments.
The Chapel of the Visitation of Mary in HĂĽngsberg is a spiritual focal point. Its bells draw numerous pilgrims, particularly for the Feast of the Visitation.
Hiking trails with varied routes
The Ant Trail begins in the village centre and passes a small park with ponds and unusual crack willows. From there, you can choose from three routes: continue to the Pfaffenbach Valley, walk through the Bockental valley, or return via Rehwinkel. The W1 Windhagen–Stockhauser Weg circular trail starts at the church in the village centre, leads to Stockhausen and then loops back to the starting point. It follows forest and meadow paths, passing through quiet, small stream valleys and scattered settlements in the municipality of Windhagen and its surroundings.
The routes differ in their basic layout: W1 is described as a circular route returning to the church; on the Ant Trail, you can choose between the routes listed, including the return via Rehwinkel. Windhagen also has numerous well-signposted hiking trails connecting to long-distance and main hiking routes such as the Rheinsteig and the Westerwaldsteig.
Visitor information
You can reach Windhagen’s “green lung” from the car park in the village centre by the Sparkasse: turn into Lärchenstraße opposite and follow it to the bottom. Kirchwies youth campsite accepts reservations; check the reservation terms again before booking.
Discover more destinations: Döttesfeld, Neuwied, Dattenberg, Ratzert, Asbach, Unkel, Hochscheid, Richert
Go to the overview of the wider destination: Neuwied.
