Duppach combines traces of Roman history with the history of the parish church of St. Hubertus. This gives you two distinct areas to focus on when planning your trip: maars and mineral springs on the one hand, and archaeological and church-history sites on the other. A circular trail adds practical information on distance, difficulty and duration to the nature theme. When planning a stay, weighing up a longer day of hiking against cultural-history stops is a useful starting point.

Maar Landscapes and Hikes

The Eichholzmaar between Steffeln and Duppach is a small, distinctly circular volcanic maar. Two mineral springs are located in the adjacent valley. At Duppacher Drees, a geological information board explains the iron- and CO₂-rich properties of the spring water in German, English and Dutch; it also displays the UNESCO Global Geopark Vulkaneifel logo. Duppach lies within both the UNESCO Geopark Vulkaneifel and the Nordeifel Nature Park.

For a broader perspective, it is worth looking at the Vulkaneifel as a wider travel destination: 77 maars have been identified there to date, and 350 volcanic centres counted, around 270 of them from a more recent period. The Ulmener Maar marks the most recent volcanic eruption in the Vulkaneifel, which took place approximately 10,900 years ago.

The “Volcanoes, Maars and Dreese” Geopark hiking trail is a moderately difficult circular route covering 20.9 kilometres. It takes approximately 5 hours and 45 minutes. Both loops pass Duppacher Drees, one of the route’s three iron-rich mineral springs. This duration makes the tour a separate planning consideration; check the current condition of the trail before setting out. The Vulkan-Pfad also passes the Roman Villa Duppach-Weihermühle and the dry maar Duppacher Weiher. Check the route details in advance if you plan to complete a full stage of the Vulkan-Pfad. The two trails offer different ways to plan: the Geopark trail gives you a clear idea of the distance and duration, while the Roman villa and dry maar mark the Duppach highlights along the Vulkan-Pfad.

Roman Traces and Parish History

Roman archaeological remains are located in Duppach-Weiermühle: a necropolis and residential and farm buildings along the Trier–Cologne Roman road.

The Catholic parish church of St. Hubertus offers a different perspective on history. The parish was first mentioned in 846, while the present-day church was built from 1923 to 1927. The choir of the older church building is still used as a cemetery chapel. In 1751, the church received a relic of St. Hubertus, donated by Count Johann Karl Erb-Truchseß von Waldburg-Zeil, provost of Cologne Cathedral.

Blacksmithing and Getting There

At the Knauf blacksmith’s workshop, you can watch a blacksmith at work at an open forge. Bus route 542 is useful for planning your journey: it runs from Lissendorf railway station to the church in Steffeln. Check the current timetable before travelling. Free parking is available at the Duppach community centre, Hauptstraße 36. The bus route goes to Steffeln, while the car park is in Duppach.

Discover more destinations: Rockeskyll, Neroth, Densborn, Müllenborn, Oos, Pelm, Kalenborn-Scheuern, Salm

For the broader travel overview: Gerolstein.