Municipality of Schleiden
The town of Schleiden is the capital of the Eifel National Park. About 50% of its area is located within the present large-scale protected area. An additional 16 smaller towns and villages, located in the so-called Schleiden valley and high plains, also belong to the municipality, one of which is the Kneipp-Spa town of Gemünd.
The impressive castle, in addition to the castle church in Schleiden are the landmarks of the town. The idyllic Kneipp-Spa townof Gemünd, is located where the river Urft and the river Olef join together. The health resort with its Kneipp facilities invites you to lin-ger, to listen to a classical concert (Sundays May - September), or to play mini golf. For those interested in art, we recommend a visit to the Eifel Art-Forum and the art-gallery “Eifel Art” in Gemünd, or a walk along the Art-Mile in Schleiden.
The Gemünd National Park Gate is the starting point for a voyage of discovery through the Eifel National Park. The thematic and interactive exhibition as well as the short-movies (some subtitled in different languages) about the National Park, provide insight into the diversity of the flora of future. The Gemünd National Park Gate is open daily and the admission is free. Starting at the Gemünd National Park Gate, you can join an approximately 3 hour long tour led by a ranger, through the landscape of woods, wa-ters, and wilderness free of charge.
To actively enjoy nature, a widely developed network of cycle- and footpaths including the EifelSteig and the Rur-Olef-Route, as well as high quality Hiking loops, are available. The impressive dams of the Eifel are easily accessible by bicycle.
On Sundays, between May and October, you can take a tour on an historical rail bus “The Olef Valley Railway” between Kall and Hellenthal, through Gemünd, Schleiden, and even along the half-timbered village square passage in Olef, which is unique in Germany.
Well worth a visit is the former NS-Ordensburg Vogelsang, which was built by the Nati-onal Socialists as a training facility. The points of interest there are the exhibition “NS-Documentation” and Eifel National Park.
Tourist information about the municipality of Schleiden and the northern Eifel, can be found at the National Park Gate Gemünd.
Ideal starting and finishing points for hiking and cycling are the cycle and hike train sta-tions in Gemünd, Olef, or Schleiden.