Jacobs Pilgrim Path Cologne/Bonn - Trier - Schengen
In the footsteps of the Apostle James
A long distance hiking trail for pilgrims from Magdeburg by the river Elbe, to the Py-renees connects the Eifel to Poland and France. Jacob’s pilgrimage routes to the tomb of St. James in Santiago de Compostela do not only exist in Spain but also here in the Eifel. With the national concept of the “Jacob’s Pilgrim Route” in Germany, a new connecting path to the great French pilgrim route of Vézelay has been established.
From the Rhineland through the Eifel
From Cologne, the major distribution center for pilgrims in the Rhineland and Bonn, the trail leads via Trier to Schengen. From there you have several possibilities to continue on your journey to France.
In the northern Eifel, the Jacob Pilgrims Route extends from Euskirchen to the Hardt-burg castle. To this day, the secludedly located castle in the forest is an impressive structure that shows the defensibility of the castles in the Eifel around the high Middle Ages. Then you continue to Kreuzweingarten where the pilgrim church is a must see for every pilgrim, where a large cross particle is adored. The next destination is the town of Bad Münstereifel which is surrounded by a defensive wall. From Bad Münstereifel you continue to Blankenheim and Kronenburg along Roderath, Frohngau, Engelgau (Ahe chapel in Genfbachtal).