Westerwald-Steig Stage 11: Marienthal Abbey - Weyerbusch (East - West)

Description

From Marienthal Abbey, the trail winds its way up to the Stations of the Cross, with its stone grottos, and leads through dense pine forests to Hilgenroth. A short ascent leads up to the 389m high Beulskopf, with its viewing tower. On the old coal road the trail soon changes from a wide forest track into a path which leads to Oberirsen. It gradually makes its way across zigzagging paths through fields and meadows past Marenbach to Weyerbusch, whose tall church spire is visible from quite a distance.

Brief description

From Marienthal Abbey, the trail follows the Stations of the Cross, and the old coal road to the viewing tower on the 389m high Beulskopf and into Raiffeisen country, before ending at Weyerbusch.

Approach

From Hachenburg: B414 to Ingelbach train station, continue on the L290 and B256 towards Hamm (Sieg) until exit K51
From Altenkirchen: L267 (towards Heupelzen, Kettenhausen, Marienthal/Hilgenroth) and then follow the signs to Marienthal

Public transport

Oberwesterwaldbahn train from Au-Limburg to Marienthal Abbey (request stop)
Return journey from Weyerbusch to Marienthal Abbey: with bus no. 523 to Altenkirchen and from there with the Oberwesterwaldbahn from Au-Limburg to Marienthal Abbey (request stop)
www.vectus-online.de
www.mb-bus.de

Parking

Marienthal Abbey

Directions

Marienthal Abbey and its church with the Baroque high altar, which was brought to the church in the Westerwald in 1968 from Windorf (near Passau), is today headquarters of the Archdiocese of Cologne's centre for education in the Rhineland-Palatinate region. On its way from Marienthal to Weyerbusch, the Westerwald-Steig trail goes over the Beulskopf mountain, with its Raiffeisen Tower and magnificent view, which stretches as far as the Siebengebirge, Bergisches Land and Rothaargebirge mountain ranges. Weyerbusch first became important just before the Thirty Years' War, when the Thurn-und-Taxis-Post company established a post office and a horse-changing station there. After the Vienna Congress in 1815, the lands of the Sayn family, to which Weyerbusch belonged, fell to the Rhine province and therefore to Prussia. In 1817, the village became the seat of the mayor of Weyerbusch, within the newly formed district of Altenkirchen. From this point on, the village began to flourish steadily. Another important figure in Weyerbusch was Friedrich-Wilhelm Raiffeisen, who was elected as mayor in 1845. During the famine in the winter of 1846/47 he established the 'Weyerbuscher Brodverein' to help the starving residents of the village and thus founded the cooperative system.
Access paths (marking: green W on a yellow background)

Safety instructions

Wear sturdy shoes and appropriate, weatherproof clothing that protects you from cold and wet or heat and sun.Take enough liquid with you. There are not always places to stop for refreshments.Please wear walking shoes appropriate for the trail, which will give you sufficient grip even on slippery and steep or rocky and uneven paths.If you are of the opinion that certain sections of the trail are not passable for you, then you should avoid them. Especially in adverse weather conditions, muddy and slippery passages can occur on natural paths.Especially in autumn, you should also be aware that leaves lying on the ground can hide uneven surfaces, roots, stones or holes in the path. You must expect path impairments of this kind when you undertake a hike.Although the trail is very well marked throughout, you should always have a suitable hiking map with you for safety reasons.

Equipment

Hiking boots/shoes
Suitable weatherproof clothing
Rucksack with provisions

Tips

For great views: the wooden Raiffeisen Tower on the 389m high Beulskopf mountain

Literature

- Wanderkarte-Leporello Westerwald-Steig, hiking map with GPS data and tips for day trips, rest stops and leisure activities, map size (w x h): 18 x 20 cm, 39 pages in total, including 29 pages of maps, ISBN 978-3-89920-461-2, €8.95 - Official WesterWaldSteig trail map for hikers and holidaymakers, 1:50 000 scale map, LVermGeo Rheinland-Pfalz, ISBN 978-3-89637-406-6, €8.50

Destination

Weyerbusch

Starting Point

Marienthal Abbey