Kulturschätzen auf den Grund gehen - im "Goldenen Grund"

Today we are walking on "golden ground" - we can be excited!

In the valley of the Gaybach in Körperich-Niedersgegen, we pass some of the most beautiful castle and farm estates in the southern Eifel. They bear witness to a "golden" time with rich harvests on the fertile soils of this valley - the "Goldener Grund". The lords of the manor were able to build impressive estates with the income.

We start our hike in Körperich at the church and follow the Südeifel Nature Park hiking trail no. 43 towards Niedersgegen past the campsite and swimming pool. On this first section, we even pass an ice cellar - a rock cave where people used to keep food cold. One step inside and we enjoy a little cooling off.

One of the first farmsteads we soon pass is the former "Bouvier" castle with its park-like gardens, which is now used as a school hostel.

Just a few meters away is another magnificent estate, Schlossgut Petry. The estate was built in 1823 on the model of Weilerbach Castle near Bollendorf and is privately owned. Nevertheless, we phoned ahead to visit a specific room in the castle that is open to the public - the so-called "wallpaper room" from 1824. A special rarity awaits us here - a unique wallpaper from the famous Parisian art print shop Dufour. The wallpaper depicts the unhappy love story of "Paul and Virginie" based on the novel by Bernardin de Saint-Pierre. Also worth seeing is the estate's large farmyard with its chapel and farm store, where the farm's own sausage and meat products are sold. As it is Saturday morning and the farm store is open, we take the opportunity to treat ourselves to an original South Tyrolean ham.

We see smaller, but no less architecturally interesting farmsteads as we continue our walk through the small district of Niedersgegen. Time and again, we come across delightful farm gardens.

One of the absolute highlights is Kewenig Castle near Körperich-Niedersgegen. It is one of the oldest manor houses in the district of Bitburg-Prüm. First mentioned in a document in 1231 as Villa de Cheweningen, it stands on the square foundation walls of a moated castle with corner towers and round arch frieze from the 16th century. The former seat of the Lords of Stein is surrounded by a beautiful park. We can also see these on our hike, but as the castle and its grounds are privately owned, we are unfortunately unable to take a look inside.

A short hike on a tarmac field path and then soft forest ground takes us to Hüttingen. Here, the oven and iron museum invites us to visit. The museum is open from 2 p.m. and is the perfect stopover for us. We enjoy freshly baked waffles in the museum café "Ofenstube". Delicious!

Strengthened, we set off again through the village of Hüttingen, take a look at the picturesque little church on a hill and take a dirt track to Lahr. We continue over hills and valleys, stopping several times to enjoy the sweeping views and take a deep breath.

Our varied hike ends back in Körperich. There, we put up for the night in the hotel-restaurant "Im Goldenen Grund" and reward ourselves for our day's work with a delicious meal from the tempting menu of the hotel's own restaurant.