Zilsdorf combines hiking trails associated with the Arensberg volcano with buildings from different periods. Water also shapes the village: a Kneipp footbath pool is fed by spring streams whose water comes from the volcanic deposits of the Beuel. If you are looking for accommodation in Zilsdorf, you can plan your stay around the themes that interest you: hiking, geology or local history.
Hiking from Zilsdorf and trails to the Arensberg
The Vulkanweg is a moderately difficult circular trail covering 13.3 kilometres. It runs from Hillesheim via Walsdorf and Zilsdorf to the Arensberg volcano. The regional geopark currently publishes the route details for this trail. Its length and difficulty give you two specific details to help you factor the hike into your plans.
By contrast, the Vulkan-Panorama-Wanderweg starts and ends at the village hall in Zilsdorf and passes directly by the XXL bench. Its connection to the village therefore differs from the circular route via Hillesheim and Walsdorf: here, the village hall and XXL bench are the key landmarks, while the Vulkanweg is defined by its 13.3-kilometre length and moderate difficulty rating.
Starting point C of the GEO-Pfad is also located at the same village hall. Two information boards there provide details about the region’s mineral springs and the Eifel’s mineral and thermal waters.
Volcanic landscape and water
About half a kilometre from Zilsdorf lies the Beuel, a remnant of a volcanic stratovolcano dating back approximately 970,000 years. Zilsdorf has a Kneipp footbath pool. The spring streams that feed it get their water from the volcanic deposits of the Beuel. The pool is therefore also linked to the geology of the nearby Beuel.
The Arensberg is one of the Gerolsteiner Land’s major geological attractions and the only significant volcanic cone from the Tertiary period. It is also a hotspot in the “Vulkaneifel” bird protection area and the “Gerolsteiner Kalkeifel” FFH area. To approach the volcano, a wide forest track leads from Zilsdorf past a small car park on the edge of the Arensberg forest to the tunnel and into the volcano.
Architectural history in Zilsdorf
The Catholic branch church of St. Anthony in Zilsdorf is a two-bay hall church built in 1815. North of the village lies the wayside shrine “Unter dem Heiligenhäuschen”: a small, plastered building with a moulded round-arched portal dating from 1664. Their designs create distinct focal points: the moulded round-arched portal of the small wayside shrine and the classification of St. Anthony’s as a two-bay hall church.
For centuries, the Arnulfus Chapel served as the parish church for Walsdorf and Zilsdorf. It was demolished in 1825 because it had fallen into disrepair. Its history adds the former ecclesiastical role it served for both villages and its subsequent demolition to the story of the village’s buildings.
Discover more destinations: Oberehe-Stroheich, Ăśxheim, Berndorf, Kerpen, Wiesbaum, Oberbettingen, Basberg, Loogh.
See the main travel overview: Hillesheim.
