Did you ever see twins and do a double take? You start thinking, “did I have one too many drinks over at the beer garden?” Maybe covering one eye to make sure you’re not seeing double. Ha-ha, that happened to me over in the town of Herdorf, located on the Heller River (which feeds the Sieg).
No, I didn’t have one too many at the beer garden. And, no, I didn’t see some good looking twins (too bad). What I saw was two churches that looked almost identical, right down to the same sharp steeples.
There were some differences, of course. The Evangelical Church is the brightly colored one, while the St. Aloysius Catholic Church is done in a more somber dark stone architecture.
What a way to start a trip, huh?
If you think that’s confusing, imagine the maze of mining tunnels underneath. There are plenty of them in this old mining town, where over 60 million tonnes of earth was excavated over the course of two centuries.
To some that’s not all that impressive, but I would still say to visit the Mining Museum.
You can even go into two of the tunnels in the village of Concordia. On the surface you’ll find 10 information panels on the history of mining, and the metals that were taken. So great was the mining industry that another Mining Museum is found in the village of Sassenroth (one of the three of Herdorf).
All work and no play can make anyone lose their marbles. So, good thing besides all the mining Herdorf has a long festival history. Carnival is a terrific way to party in the darkness of winter.
Corpus Christi brings on another event, a procession leading from the Cross at Leyfels — dedicated to the people who lost their lives in a late 19th century conflict.
No need to wait until Corpus Christi to hike the countryside. Over 60km of hiking trails await, including a stint on one of the European Long Distance Routes (you’ll know it if you’re following the big X on black background).
“X” really does mark the spot.
The most popular spot to stop is the Druid Stone, but this is the Westerwald so you’re never short of being for something to see if you want to keep going.
Not me, I’m sticking around for the Christmas Market in early December, and to see all the half-timbered houses.
No I’m not, I’m hoping to see some twins — just like Herdorf’s two churches. ;-)