Elbling route

The circular route along the Elbling route begins in Konz, at the confluence of the Saar and Moselle rivers. Directly at the mouth of the Saar, the sculpture path "Stones on the River" starts with the artwork "Stone at the Mouth" along the Upper Moselle. The first wine village is Wasserliesch, also known as the "Gateway to the Upper Moselle." On the Löscher Plateau is the nature-protected orchid paradise "Perfeist" with a variety of different orchid species. The Elbling route continues along the Upper Moselle to Oberbillig. The former fishing and skipper village lies opposite the confluence of the Sauer into the Moselle. A car and passenger ferry connects Oberbillig with the opposite town of Wasserbillig in Luxembourg. In Temmels, you now turn onto the L136. Through many curves, you go up through the vineyards to Fellerich and then back down to Tawern. The important Roman road that connected Trier with the Roman Empire ran through here. In the street "In den Brühlmorgen," excavations of the vicus can be seen. Now take a detour and follow the signs to the Roman temple complex, excavated and partially reconstructed in 1986/87. Traders in particular stopped at this temple on their journey to offer sacrifices to Mercury, the god of trade. In the today partly reconstructed 46 x 36 meter temple precinct, used from the 1st to 4th centuries, the ancient atmosphere is still palpable. Continue the route and drive through the rural-character villages of Onsdorf and Söst to Wincheringen. A distinctive landmark is the medieval round and defensive tower, which curiously carries the bells of the village church, which itself has no tower. The next village is Helfant with the "Helfant Cathedral," whose massive twin towers can be seen from afar. Now follow the K11/L132 over the fertile high plateaus of Saargau to Kreuzweiler. The Museum of Rural Culture and Technology presents over 40 bulldozers and tractors from the 1920s to 1950s in the blockhouse. Passing by the stately Schloss Thorn building complex, which is privately owned, you descend again into the Moselle valley. Along the B407, you reach Palzem, the southernmost Moselle wine-growing municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate. The striking village image is still shaped by the stately rural estates of the 19th century. Continuing along the B407, passing Wehr, you come to Rehlingen. Through the village, you finally reach the St. Rochus chapel in the middle of the vineyards, with beautiful Baroque interior decoration. From here, you have a magnificent view over the Moselle valley and Luxembourg. Via Köllig, you now come to Nittel, the largest wine village on the Upper Moselle. High dolomite and limestone cliffs create an impressive panorama. In the cliffs, you can find a variety of sea lilies, sea snails, and crabs from the time of the Triassic sea. A hike along the cliff path, which is under nature protection, is an experience. Anyone who wants to learn more about Elbling and the grape varieties of the Upper Moselle can walk along the wine educational trail. The Elbling route now leads, always parallel to the Moselle, downstream past Wellen back towards Konz, the starting point of the circular tour.