"Road of the Romans" circular hiking trail Zell (Mosel)

start: Market square, "Zeller Schwarze Katz" fountain, D-56856 Zell (Mosel)
destination: Market square, "Zeller Schwarze Katz" fountain, D-56856 Zell (Mosel)

medium
15,44 km
4 hours 40 minutes
256 m
264 m
97 m
40 / 100
60 / 100

Local wines, magnificent views and Roman highlights.

Impressive evidence of the Celtic-Roman era, the beautiful Mosel landscape and the famous wines of the "Zeller Schwarze Katz" invite you to explore.

Late Roman mountain shrine on the "Beinter Kopf

5 km south of Zell, close to the banks of the Moselle, rises the Beinter Kopf, a slate rock that juts far into the Altlayer Bachtal valley. There you will find the remains of a building that was apparently a Roman temple. The foundation walls of the cella with a square ground plan of about 7.2 m x 8.0 m side length can still be seen in the terrain.

Roman ash box

An important discovery was made in the spring of 1912 when excavation work on the Brandenburg 24 site uncovered a large half-roller-shaped ash box made of grey sandstone. It contained three clay vessels used as urns, two of which were covered with a plate.

Late Roman hilltop settlement "Alteburg

The late Roman hilltop settlement of Alteburg is located about 4.5 km southeast of Zell on an almost inaccessible slate spur flowed around by the Altlayer Bach stream. The slate rock, which rises about 75 m above the Altlay stream valley, has an irregular summit surface that becomes steadily narrower towards the northern tip and is fronted by several terraces in the northwest.

Impressions

General information

Directions

The hike starts in the core town of Zell and first leads a short distance close to the banks of the Mosel until it turns off at the roundabout towards the Hunsrück heights. On the way there, it is worth taking a look at the Roman ash box discovered in 1912, one of numerous urns from the middle or second half of the 3rd century. The route climbs steeply to the late Roman mountain shrine "Beinter Kopf". The ascent is rewarded with a magnificent view of the Zeller Mosel loop and the district of Barl opposite. After descending into the Altlayer Bachtal valley, the trail leads along the course of the stream towards Hunsrück. Following the signpost "Alteburg hilltop settlement", the trail climbs again to a spur above the Altlayer Bachtal, where the late Roman hilltop settlement of Alteburg was located. Return along the same route in the direction of the Mosel. Two of the climbs on the outward route are omitted by the route through the Bachtal. Once back in the old town, the last section of the trail leads directly along the Moselle riverbank promenade and past the boat landing stages, allowing sweeping views through the Moselle valley and of the Kaimt district with its impressive half-timbered riverbank architecture. In preparation for the hike, a detour to the wine and local history museum in the town hall is recommended.

Equipment

we recommend sturdy shoes

Tip

Enjoy the wines in the winegrowers' taverns along the way

Getting there

cross the B53 to the other side of the Mosel (Bullay double-decker bridge or Kaimt motorway bridge), keep straight on until you reach the Zell (Mosel) town hall, Balduinstr. 44.

Parking

Free parking in the streets "Brandenburg" and "Am Bahnhof".

Public transit

by train to Bullay and continue with bus lines 720,721 or 750 to Zell (Mosel), Lindenplatz.

Maps

Hiking map Zellerland

ISBN 978-3-944620-12-1

Available from Zeller Land Tourismus GmbH, Balduinstr. 44, D-56856 Zell (Mosel), Tel. +49 6542 9622-0, info@zellerland.de, www.zellerland.de

Additional Information

www.strassen-der-roemer.eu