St. James Pilgrim Route Cologne/Bonn - Trier - Schengen
"In the footsteps of the Apostle James".
A long-distance hiking trail for St. James pilgrims from Magdeburg on the Elbe to the Pyrenees links the Eifel with Poland and France. St. James' paths to the tomb of St. James the Apostle in Santiago de Compostela existed not only in Spain but also in this country. With the supra-regional Way of St. James concept in Germany, a new connecting route to the great French pilgrimage route of Vézelay was established.
From the Rhineland through the Eifel
Coming from Cologne, the great distributing station of the pilgrims of St. James in the Rhineland, and Bonn, today's route leads via Trier to Schengen. From there there are several possibilities to continue the way to France in the direction of Metz.
In the northern Eifel, the Jacob's Pilgrimage Route runs from Euskirchen to Hardtburg Castle. The ruins, lonely in the forest, still give an impressive idea of the fortified nature of the Eifel castles in the high Middle Ages. Then it goes down to Kreuzweingarten, whose pilgrimage church is a "must" for every pilgrim. Since earliest times, a larger particle of the cross has been venerated here. The next destination of the day is the walled city of Bad Münstereifel. Coming from Bad Münstereifel, the route continues via Roderath, Frohngau, Engelgau (Ahe chapel in the Genfbach valley) to Blankenheim and Kronenburg.
We will be happy to send you free information material for planning your hike. You can also order hiking maps from us for a fee.