I like history as much as the next person, but I gotta tell ya, the Thirty Years’ War made my head hurt. I think banging my head on the desk in frustration had something to do with it. ;-)

The Thirty Years’ War took place mainly in Germany (today’s Germany, back then it was independent states and kingdoms) in the 17th century from 1618-1648. Yet, the underlying factors for the war went back almost a century. It was a powder keg waiting for the match.

The Thirty Years’ War was more of a religious war (the last of its kind in Europe) than a political one. I’m not saying politics didn’t have a minor role; it just wasn’t the main factor.

Before you go off banging your head (I’ll try to keep this as painless as possible), let me tell you who the players were. Fighting in the Protestant corner (with about a half-million men) were the Swedes, France, Brandenburg-Prussia, Transylvania, and England. On the Catholic side was the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, Austria, Bavaria, and Denmark-Norway (fighting with an almost equal match of around 450,000 men).

Told you it was a religious war, the Catholics vs. the Protestants.

France is a bit of an odd-ball in this, fighting on the side of the Protestants since it was a predominately Catholic country. But, the French thought the Catholic Habsburgs had too much power (they ruled the region bordering France), so they fought on the opposing side. See, politics did have some parts in this.

Now the question becomes: why were they fighting? Again, I’ll try to make it less confusing…

Look, I’m not placing blame on anyone; but, after the Reformation sweeping Germany in the mid to late 16th century Protestants (Lutherans, Calvinists) were fighting for their piece of the religious pie. The Catholic Church who had a monopoly in Europe, wasn’t giving in so easily.

Wait, wasn’t there freedom of religion? No way. Fat chance. Totally unthinkable.

The Peace of Augsburg (signed in 1555) stated that rulers could choose their religion (only Lutheran or Catholic) and force their people to follow what they chose.

An exception was Lutherans living with a Prince-bishopric (ruled by a Catholic bishop) could still practice their religion freely.

I’m saddened by the total devastation the war brought to not only Germany (some towns were totally abandoned during the war), but also parts of Bohemia (modern day Czech Republic), Denmark, and others. It’s been said that the Kingdom of Württemberg lost 75 percent of its population and about half the male population in the German states as a whole.

Of course, not all died in battle. Diseases such as Typhus, the Plague, and Scurvy affected not only those fighting on the battlefront, but refugees and townsfolk also suffered. So bad was a Plague epidemic at one point, places like Dresden and Oberammergau suffered horribly.

Sweden (a major powerhouse in all this) was reported to have destroyed around 2,000 castles and almost as many towns within Germany by the time the Thirty Years’ War was over. The poor town of Nördlingen had not one, but two epic battles taking place there.

Some towns within Germany took almost a century before returning to their former glory. Many old framework houses had to be rebuilt, medieval churches were too (sometimes in the Baroque style that was all the rage by this time), and families settled again in their former homes or found new ones.

It kind of reminds me of Germany as a whole, constantly rebuilding itself into something new and improved.

I just hope I didn’t make your head hurt as much as mine… ;-)

Welcome to Volcano, the home planet of Mr. Spock of the U.S.S. Enterprise.

Ahhh, gotcha, there’s no such place as the planet Volcano — but, there is a 280km route in the Eifel known as the German Volcanoes Route, or Deutsche Vulkanstrasse. The entire route lies within the Eifel with so many places to stop along the way and a landscape created from what was once living fire spewing volcanoes.

There are 39 stations of the German Volcanoes Route, each showing the very best of the region. Not all of the stations are just stone cliffs created from erupting volcanoes; you’ll find spectacular vistas, fun interactive museums and towns along the way.

The 39 Stations Along The German Volcano Route

Station 1 starts your journey at a parking lot called Erntekreuz, located close to Laacher See, the largest lake in the Rhineland-Palatinate state. Enjoy the great vistas, and then take a boat rental around the volcano created lake.

Here’s where you’ll catch a glimpse of the Maria Laach Abbey in the village of Glees (Station 2), which is found on the southwest side of the lake. Built in the Middle Ages, this church is a brilliant example of Romanesque architecture and priceless artwork.

The Eppelsberg hill west of Nickenich is next on list (Station 3). It is where you’ll find a quarry of stone created from volcanic ash.

Afterwards, head over to Station 4 and the interactive Römerbergwerk Meurin, a Roman Mine Museum near Kruft. Although not volcano related, the museum is a fantastic way to learn how the Romans mined the area.

Station 5 is covered by the Rauschermühle Information Center in Plaidt, which shows films and exhibitions about the evolution and eruption of volcanoes, particularly the Michelberg volcano from 200,000 years ago.

The Lava Dome a.k.a. Deutsches Vulkanmuseum in the town of Mendig is next (Station 6). Take a tour 32 meters underneath the surface of Mendig to the “volcano cellars.” Get off your bike and come inside to visit the 12th century basilica church.

With that done, get back on your bicycle and ride through the nature protected area of Dachsbusch in Glees. Make sure you stop there first because you’ll want to visit the wine cellar of the Steinfeld Monastery afterwards (yeah, wine!).

Wow, you’re at station 12 already when you ride into Niederzissen, passing the Bausenberg — once a “cone” type of volcano. Stay a bit and explore around the Castle Olbrück, the church of St. Germanus, and a short ride on the Volcano Express Railway.

Get ready to work a bit harder but, when you get to Hohe Acht, the highest peak in the Eifel, it’ll be worth it. The Hohe Acht, or the High Eight, has ski lifts (for winter skiing) and many walking paths winding around. It’ll be nice to come off the bicycle and just take your time wandering about.

Next to visit is the Ulmener Maar in Ulmen with the ruins of the Ritterburg (Knights Castle) from the 11th century. The Ulmener Maar legend tells of huge fish that are said to live in the water — so keep your camera ready — it’ll be like capturing a picture of the Loch Ness Monster!

The next maar is the Immerather Maar (near Immerath), the smallest of all them in the Eifel.

Onwards to Pulvermaar (east of Gillenfeld), created some 20,000 years ago and one of the deepest natural lakes in all of Germany. Swimming is allowed on the eastern side.

Passing by the Holzmaar (west of Gillenfeld), stop at Dürres Maar (created 25,000 years ago), a protected nature area, and the Hitsche Maar.

Go back up towards Daun and you’ll come across the Weinfelder Maar (a.k.a. Totenmaar). This one is only half as old as those around it, dating back 10,000 years ago. Come see the Weinfelder Church and cemetery, it’ll be a nice to walk instead of bicycling.

Same for the Gemündener Maar just west of it.

Once you’ve reached the Volcano Museum in Daun, there are only 11 stations left! Not only will you learn more about the Eifel’s volcanoes, but ones still active all over the world.

The Arensberg (station 30) has a beautiful 12th century pilgrimage church and was once a Roman and medieval quarry. Here you can take a ride down in the quarry.

Steffeln still goes with the entire volcano theme with its Vulkangarten (Volcano Garden), but it also has a Roman Mansion Rustica from the 2nd/3rd century.

Oh goodness, how time flies! After you’ve watched the Kaltwassergeysir (yes, there’s even a geyser, cold-water geyser to be exact) in Wallenborn, you’ve completed station 35.

The Meerfelder Maar is within the village of Meerfeld, which isn’t anywhere as old as the maar itself, which thought to be somewhere between 30,000–80,000 years old!

The Windsborner Kratersee, the third last stop, southeast of Bettenfeld, lies within another protected nature area. It was created some 29,000 years ago.

Lastly, don’t leave out a visit to the Maarmuseum in Manderscheid, there’s no better place to learn more about all those maars you’ve just cycled along.

The German Volcanoes Route ends at the Gesteinsfalten (rock folds?) east of Manderscheid. Be proud of yourself, you did it!

I only hope that you love the unique and remarkable natural landscape of this region as much as I do! Now, take a well-deserved break before you head off on one of the other scenic routes in Germany.

German Volcanoes Route Web Site

Here’s the official Web site of the German Volcanoes Route.

There’s a song with a stanza that sings “Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall, all you have to do is call and I’ll be there…”; well, that should be the motto for the town of Medebach.

Whatever the season, whatever the weather (which is quite lovely by the way) there’s something to see or do. I swear I’m not overstating things. I’ll tell you all about it, then you’ll know I’m not. ;-)

You’ll find both the modern and historic living together in perfect harmony, with contemporary houses right alongside many romantic half-timbered ones.

There are also quite a few churches that you’ll want to see too. I suggest the Parish Church of Sts. Peter & Paul (one of the biggest in the entire Paderborn Archdiocese), St. Nicholas (built 1526) with a 13th century Madonna, and the Baroque Chapel of St. John (built in 1696).

For Medebach’s Museums, there is (of course) a local history museum, called the Municipal Museum that’s got plenty of archaeological finds (this was an area that was once crawling with Romans). And there’s the Schwerspatmuseum (hard to say, I know), which is a mineral and mining museum.

Sports top the list in number of things to do here. Warmer weather is great for hiking (there’s a bird sanctuary here), cycling, guided nature walks, horseback riding, motorcycling, and 4-wheeling.

When winter comes you’ve got skiing (with a ski school), tobogganing, cross-country skiing, snowboarding, sledding, and winter hiking (don’t forget your snow shoes).

Last, but certainly not least, are Medebach’s festivals. There’s a 2-day Christmas Market and a Wine Festival (in June) held every year on the Marktplatz, an Oktoberfest, and the so-called Gelobte Fest or Promised Fest.

This festival, held every year on the Saturday before the feast day of St. John the Baptist, has been going on since 1636 as a promise to God. Townsfolk were trying to gain the Lord’s favor to keep away plague, pillaging, plundering, and pestilence.

One of the more nifty festivals is the Street Art Festival where lots of artists come to draw their hearts out all over sidewalk. This festival falls on the 1st Sunday in June, in case you’re feeling creative.

I’m thinking that whoever wrote that song had to have Medebach on the mind. And didn’t I tell you I wasn’t exaggerating? ;-)

I’m starting to think you need a degree in Art History to fully understand and appreciate the architecture found throughout Germany since terms like Gothic, Romanesque, and Baroque are thrown around constantly.

So be prepared to hear those names thrown around A LOT when you get to the town of Malchin.

A town this old is bound to have a variety of architecture because it had to be rebuilt time and time again. It has suffered terribly (it’s been bombed, looted, and set ablaze) over the centuries due to wars like the Thirty Years’ War, the Napoleonic Wars, and World War II.

Thankfully a few of its original 15th century gates and towers still stand. The Stone Gate is one of them, then there’s the Kalensche Tor, and the Fangelturm (standing 35 meters high) was once used as a prison.

Each of these were all part of the medieval fortification wall, called a Stadtmauer; and parts of this defense system still stand. Not only were wars a threat to the citizens of Malchin, “up to no good” marauders were always a problem.

Residents of Malchin aren’t just proud of their beautiful city gates, but also of their St. Johannis Church. It was originally a late Romanesque design, but after a fire in the late 14th century it was rebuilt in a Gothic design.

It has a Renaissance pulpit and a Baroque organ — that’s a lot of art and architecture right there in one place (didn’t I tell you). And the view from the top of its 67 meter high tower is phenomenal.

Over at the former mill is the town’s local history museum with an entire exhibit dedicated to its local boy, Siegfried Marcus — one of the founding fathers of the German automobile.

When spending all your time indoors isn’t an option, there are a few war memorials scattered around the eleven districts of Malchin, including one for the Franco-Prussian War, World War I, and World War II.

For a place of quiet reflection there’s the Malchiner See and the Kummerower See (i.e., two lakes). Maybe you might want to get yourself an art history book to learn more about all the types of architecture you’ll see while you’re here? Just a thought… ;-)

One highlight of the (probably unknown) town of Rauenberg is the 30 million year old fossils (hummingbirds, actually) found here.

The bones of ancient animals aren’t the only ones found in Rauenberg. You’ll find a zoo (it has donkeys, deer, goats, etc), which is part of the Wietalbad Water Park in nearby Wiesloch, with a natural lake AND an 80 meter waterslide, a children’s area, a playground, and volleyball court.

The Angelbachtal Animal Park is another good stop. It too has a large pond with ducks and swans. Even though admission is free, it is best to leave a generous donation — since the entire facility runs entirely from them.

Rauenberg’s outdoor activities aren’t limited to only the animal parks and swimming adventures. Golf is always a good bet, as well as horseback riding and tennis.

Also with 40 kilometers of hiking trails plus a bazillion cycling paths, you most certainly won’t be bored.

Then again, a visit to the Winzermuseum or Winegrower Museum might be a better idea. The museum itself is housed in a former bishop’s palace (built almost 600 years ago) with exhibits on viticulture and rural history.

As with any wine town it seems to flow a plenty during a festival — like the Portugieserfest in September, the Kerwe on the 2nd weekend of October, and the obligatory Christmas Market on the first weekend of Advent.

I hope you don’t mind if I go back to the Kerwe thing for a moment. Rauenberg’s Kerwe is a church festival — which means it has to have one, right? In this case there are two. The landmark of the town is the Church of Saints Peter and Paul — that isn’t as old as it looks; it’s just a tad over a century old. It’s the Church of St. Nicholas that’s the older of the two in town (this one’s two hundred years old).

Neither of these churches are as old as the three half-timbered houses found in Rauenberg — one cornerstone dates a building to 1713.

Did I mention that Rauenberg is only 15km south of the city of Heidelberg? No? It’s OK, you’ll like it enough here that you won’t even want to bother with its big city neighbor. You’ll be just fine right here.

My first thought about beer brings me to my beloved Bavaria. Not this time, folks, not this time. This time the most refreshing beverage on the planet brings me to Saxony and the little town of Reinsdorf in the Ore Mountains.

Oh, back to the beer. That’s over in the village of Vielau at the Herrenhaus or manor house and brewery. Sit back, have a few brews, and you’ve pretty much got your day covered.

Maybe not, since Reinsdorf has a few other sites to do. So, maybe you should stay the night this way you can spend one day checking out all the beer and another checking the rest of town.

Reinsdorf has a Local History and Mining Museum and the St. James Church that was built in 1889. Another church worthy of a look is the Sts. Peter & Paul Church; and the Röhrensteg brought fresh water to the town for generations.

In town there’s also a City Park with a miniature Railway and quite a few War Memorial. One is the Colombstein, dedicated to the French & Prussian battle in 1813, located at Freitagstraße and Dresdener Straße. Another is for the German/Prussian War with World War I and II added later.

Now that you’ve seen all this, go have another beer, this time find a beer garden and talk to the locals.

Have a good rest? Good, because Reinsdorf is on the western edge of the Ore Mountains so you know what that means. No? Oh, sorry, that means plenty of hiking and bicycling trails for you to see all the local plants, small local wildlife; maybe do some bird watching, too.

Nature is not for you? That means I’ll find you either back at the brewery or beer garden. ‘Coz, for sure, that’s where you’ll find me. ;-)

There was a bit of confusion about the town of Wettringen in the Münsterland in the north of North Rhine-Westphalia (which is close to the border of Lower Saxony, by the way).

No, I should say I was a bit confused. I was reading up on the beautiful neo-Gothic church of St. Petronilla, thinking how could a town this old (it was plundered and pillaged repeatedly during the 17th century Thirty Years’ War) only have a church that dated to around the mid-19th century.

Unheard of. Unthinkable. Shouldn’t there be a medieval church here somewhere?

Yeah, there should. You would have seen it too, if you were here before it was torn down in 1861, to build the current St. Petronilla. That’s too bad; the original one from the early 9th century was built by Charlemagne — although you’ll find some medieval artwork in here from its predecessor (like the 13th century baptismal font).

Right next door is the Heritage House Ahlers, a 500 year old farmstead. Even if you don’t have a “green thumb,” you should see it anyway.

Another historical site in Wettringen is the Spieker Termühlen. It was built sometime in the 1570’s with stone walls almost a meter thick. It had to be solid, it was used by soldiers for defense purposes.

Wettringen’s history isn’t limited to just some musty old buildings. Over at the Tourist Office they have exhibitions on spinning and weaving; and the chance to buy some locally created artwork.

Here’s your chance to use the local currency — and I don’t mean the Euro. Wettringen has its own currency, the Herz Taler or Heart Thaler (it is equal to the Euro, just so you know), that is accepted in many of the local shops. You can’t use it, however, outside the town limits. That’s pretty smart, keep the cash flowing locally.

At least hiking around Wettringen won’t cost you much; neither will a round of tennis or swimming that’s available in town.

The best place to swim is the Haddorfer See. This lake has everything you can think of for a few days worth of fun, there’s swimming (of course), camping, fishing, surfing, other watersports, a playground, a restaurant, and cycling trails.

Don’t worry if you get a bit tired, there are six cabins near the lake where one can sleep inexpensively. I’m pretty sure you can pay for it with those Wettringen Thaler, by the way. ;-)

It’s funny what kind of places you’ll find when you’re walking the Way Of St. James. In this case it’s the town of Werneuchen in Brandenburg, located just to the east of Berlin.

Oh, I’m sorry. The Way of St. James also goes by another name: Camino de Santiago that runs throug Europe to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. This could also explain why there are more than a handful of small village churches found within Werneuchen’s nine hamlets.

Quite a few of them are of medieval construction, which you’ll find the villages of Hirschfeld, Krummensee, Weesow, and Schönfeld.

It’s only fair to mention that the one found Wilmersdorf is nothing short of gorgeous, and the one in Seefeld is stunning to say the least. The latter is of a late-Gothic design and the final resting place of some World War II soldiers.

Within the Forest Cemetery you’ll find a memorial plaque dedicated to Fascist resistance fighters, for some other 20th century history. There’s also a military airfield that was located here, which acted as a fighter pilot school.

Other history of Werneuchen can be seen by visiting the town’s museums. You’ll find a Heimatmuseum or local history museum in Werneuchen proper (which is only open by appointment), another one in the village of Biesenthal, one in Schorfheide, and yet another in Bernau.

The Tourist Information Center could do a proper job in helping you keep this all straight and organized.

They’ll also help you keep the 10 different bicycle trails straight. They range from 11 km to 132 km long, each taking you past some of the very best of Werneuchen and surrounding area.

Of course hiking paths are readily available; all you need to do is wear comfy shoes (as if I had to tell you that ;-).

What I do need to tell you is Werneuchen holds an annual Christmas Market, always great for finding crafts and other gifts. It might not sound like a big deal, but Germany’s Christmas Markets are the stuff of legend.

And seems like a right proper place for one, since Werneuchen is on the Camino de Santiago — I mean the Way of St. James.

What do you think about when I mention wide-open spaces and oil rigs, the heart of Texas, the Middle East perhaps? No way! This is Wietze in Lower Saxony, Germany only about a half hour north of Hanover (also Germany ;-).

Oil production was big business to Weitze’s economy; and a few oil rigs still dot the landscape. One oil rig is found at the Deutsches Erdölmuseum or German Mineral Oil Museum, as well as exhibits on the history and economics of the industry.

Wietze’s cultural side is seen at its Stechinelli Chapel. This Baroque chapel was built in 1692 by Francesco Maria Capellini, banker to some 17th century duke. Wow, there really is money to be made in banking. I think I’m in the wrong business. ;-)

But, even if you don’t have a banker’s salary you can still enjoy Wietze. The nature reserve doesn’t really cost anything, so hike or bicycle your way around all the local flora and fauna.

I guess it is true; the best things in life are free. The posh Lüneburg Heath is not too shabby for not really costing anything.

There are a couple of cycle tracks through Wietze (a total of about 250km of trails). One is about 25km long taking you past the Oil Museum, the Stechinellikapelle (we went there already, didn’t we?) but follows along the Hornbostel.

There’s another one that’s a little over 17km; but even if you take this shorter route you won’t miss anything.

If you don’t care for all the cycling, there are still all kinds of other sports in the Aller-Leine Valley. Try the Fitness Trail (as if cycling isn’t a workout enough), tennis, or the outdoor swimming pool (if it’s too cold, there’s an indoor pool too) with a “leisure park” right there for your convenience.

Wietze is also a festive town, with its Potato Market and many musical concerts; and I promise you won’t need to earn a banker’s wage to enjoy them.

If I told you that Wenzenbach was the site of the last major battle of the Landshut War of Succession, would you care? What if I said it was a battle of medieval knights back in 1504, would you care then?

It’s all right if you don’t. Not everyone cares about military history or even knows about this “war” in German history.

But, how about Germany’s architectural history? Architectural history? Sorry, that’s just my lead in to telling you about Wenzenbach’s castles. ;-)

Schloss Hauzenstein was around during the War of Succession, built long before in 1372. You might not guess it, since it was updated in the 17th century with a Baroque garden and chapel.

As well manicured and refined as Schloss Hauzenstein is, you’ll find Schloss Schönberg to be much more formidable and imposing looking. Don’t let its rugged exterior fool you, this castle is fantastic too.

After checking out the castles, rent yourself a bicycle and follow along the Falkenstein Bike Path. It’s about 36km long, but it’ll take you along the Bavarian Forest, streams, and lots of local flora & fauna.

Of course no trip to Bavaria is ever complete without doing more outdoorsy activities. It’s your choice if you want to swim or surf; rock climb or Nordic Walk; horseback ride or play the links (that would be golf — for you non golfers out there).

That’s not even the half of it. Take a Danube ferry ride, a hot air balloon ride, visit a nature park, or ski (cross-country, downhill, whatever) to your heart’s content.

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say, if those 16th century medieval knights had all these things to do back then, no one would have been fighting at all. Other than who would have been winner of some sort of sports bet. Don’t ya think?