Kannenbäckerland

The wild and romantic Brexbach valley is the focus of this hike. The rugged character of the valley is already apparent at the starting point in picturesque Grenzau, a district of Höhr-Grenzhausen. First, the route leads up to Grenzau Castle, which towers over the small town characterized by half-timbered houses. From up here you can see how the houses follow the narrow stream valley. Special feature: The castle's keep is the only one with a triangular shape north of the Alps! Now it continues along rocky slopes to the Kaiserstuhl. The striking rocky cliff offers a view of the Brexbach valley with its forests and meadows. Only the railway line, which is now closed in this section, follows the watercourse to the Rhine. For more than 20 kilometers from Grenza, there is no road through the valley. From the Kaiserstuhl, a narrow path leads down to the Brexbach. If this is too demanding for you, you can alternatively follow the red and white signposted HG5 down to Ostersmühle and from there walk over the HG1 towards Steinebrück. Here, after a short stretch, you come back to the Brexbachschluchtweg.The Wäller Tour now follows the Brexbach to Nauort train station. Natural forest meadows and rugged rocks make the tour a varied experience.At the former Nauort train station, the hiking trail leaves the Brexbach valley and leads up to the Teufelsberg. Here you get another impressive view of the valley. An information point of the National GEOPARK Westerwald-Lahn-Taunus reports on the geology and mining in the valley.Along old giant trees and enormous quartz blocks - the Teufelstreppe - you now hike up the hill near Nauort. At Leutersberg the forest recedes and over the next few kilometers repeatedly reveals views of the entire region.The town of Nauort is connected via a yellow-marked access road. There are various restaurants and shopping opportunities here.The Brexbachschluchtweg continues over the hill to Alsbach and, with numerous distant views, down into the Masselbach valley. The Grenzau train station, near the confluence of the Masselbach and the Brexbach, is now only used as a siding. The buildings are privately owned. Back in the Brexbach valley, the hiking trail now reaches the town of Grenzau again. The large Zugbrücke sports hotel is the Olympic training center for the German national table tennis team. There are also various places to stop for refreshments here and at the destination.

Depending on when I take this tour, I visit the Westerwald Ceramics Museum in Höhr-Grenzhausen before or after, the largest of its kind in the world. The town is one of the centers in Kannenbäckerland, the land of pottery. From the Schlossberg in Grenzau, the castle with its triangular keep greets us on the left. Later, when I arrive in Selters, I take some time to explore the historic town center of this village, which is one of the oldest in the Westerwald. I continue to Mogendorf. Here, wonderful ceramic objects are produced partly by hand in the many potteries, most of which have the typical salt glaze of the Kannenbäckerland. In Siershahn waits the Tonbergbaumuseum, which is open in the afternoons between April and November and otherwise by appointment. In Wirges, I like to visit the Westerwald Cathedral, and the Sculpture and Miniature Museum in the Fackelhahn/Rohr industrial park on the A 3 also attracts me with its large collection.