Municipality of Hellenthal
In the National Park community of Hellenthal, tradition and progress are harmonious-ly side by side: castles and churches, charming scenery and modern industry make the community lovable and worth living in. The municipality covers an area of around 138 square meters and no less than 61 villages and hamlets. Overall, the municipality has about 8,500 residents.
The industry in the valleys of Hellenthal and Blumenthal with about 1,500 jobs is the economic foundation of the community. The companies are on the grounds of the world famous Eifel industry, that existed up to the middle 19th century.
The diversity of the landscape makes Hellenthal attractive for a stay. Scenically located in the expanse of the Hellenthal forest, Lake Olef, lies as an oasis of peace, ideal for hiking and cycling. The most widely known Hellenthal Birds of Prey Compound-Wildlife Park is located above the lake. Fascinating are the flowering wild narcissi Close by, at the White Rock, which is the highest point of the Rhineland, is a weather station with an exhibition that can be visited. The air at this location has been proven to be the cleanest in Germany. A special panoramic view can be seen from the 30-meter high observation tower. Winter sports are also possible here, a ski and a snow sled lift and specially prepared cross-country trails are available.
Reifferscheid and Wildenburg are two typical castle settlements. The castle ruins of Reifferscheid, with its historic center, dates back to the 11th century with its oldest buil-dings. The Wildenburg, the only remaining hilltop castle in the district of Euskirchen, dates back to the 12th century and is used as a meeting, recreational and educational center today.
Visitors to the “Grube Wohlfahrt” (visitors’ mine) are transported even further into the earth‘s past and will experience the fascinating world of an old ore mine.
Annually tens of thousands of tourists visit the Ardennes Culture Boulevard which is located 20 km south of Hellenthal, directly on the German-Belgian border. The ArsKRIPPANA, one of the most important nativity scenes exhibitons in Europe, the ArsTECNICA, one of the first digital model railway systems in Europe with over 2,000 m tracks and over 100 trains and ArsFIGURA with original living rooms and grocery store, historical, artistic and mechanical figure collections from imperial times, puts visitors under its spell. Other exhibitions are the ArsArdenn and ARSMineralis.
Information about the National Park community of Hellenthal and the northern Eifel region are available at the Tourist-Info at the Town Hall in Hellenthal. Ideal starting and finishing points for hiking and cycling are the cycle and hike train stations Hellenthal and Blumenthal