There is a wide range of interesting, worth visiting places around Bell. The Laacher See is only 2km away from our village and always a recommendation for hikers and friends of nature.
Laacher See and Maria Laach Abbey
Whether the Laacher See basin is a real crater, a maar or a caldera cannot be clearly determined by scientists. Those terms are not precisely defined through descriptive criteria or definite origination processes.
However, the Laacher See is the biggest of the “Eifelmaare”. It formed 13000 years ago in consequence of the great eruption of the Laacher See basin, when the volcanoes of the Eifel were active for the last time.
The lake is 330ha big, up to 53m deep and is situated amidst the largest natural reserve of Rhineland-Palatinate at approx. 275m altitude. It is embedded into the forested landscape of hills of the Vordereifel.
There is a well constructed network of rambling trails around the lake. There are three circular routes around the lake in various heights, and a connection to the transregional network of rambling trails of the Eifelverein and the Traumpfade (songlines).
Maria Laach Abbey, built in the Romanesque style, is always worth a visit. There is a variety of monastery-run little companies: bookshop and art dealer’s, garden centre, fruit cultivation, blacksmith, sculpture and bell foundry. The bookshop, the garden centre as well as the farm shop open on Sundays. The garden centre also offers home-grown fruits.
Trips to the surroundings:
- Koblenz (Deutsches Eck, Ehrenbreitstein Fortress)
- Mendig (Vulkanmuseum/Lavadome/Vulkanbrauerei (brewery))
- Mayen (Genoveva castle, German slate quarry and other)
- Bürresheim Castle
- Rhine
- Moselle
- Nürburgring (motorsports, adventure park)
- Eltz Castle
- Butterfly Garden Sayn-Wittgenstein
- Ahr Valley (wine-growing are, wine tasting)
- Siebengebirge
- and much more…