Burg Ulmen is a medieval castle ruin that sits on the southern edge of the Ulmener Maar overlooking the town of Ulmen in the Vulkaneifel region of Germany. The oldest parts of the castle were built around the 11th century, and it very likely stands atop the remains of an earlier Roman settlement. In the Middle Ages the complex grew to include an upper and lower castle; the lower portion reached down toward the maar and was once linked with the town’s defensive wall. The castle was home to regional knightly families and because of its size was rarely taken by force until the late 17th century. After the last descendant died around 1800 it was abandoned, quarried for stone to build local houses, and suffered further damage in later centuries. In the early 20th century it was placed under preservation and is now freely accessible to visitors. From the ruins you can see the maar and the surrounding volcanic landscape, and there are some remains of walls, a cistern and foundation traces of the original buildings.
Sitting quiescently below the castle, the Ulmener Maar itself is a volcanic crater lake formed by a phreatomagmatic eruption roughly ten to eleven thousand years ago and is the youngest maar in the Eifel. It is up to about thirty seven metres deep and is ringed by a wall of tuff and ash that marks its explosive origin. You can walk around the shore of the maar on a path that gives views of the water, the forested slopes and the castle above.
Just to the north of the Ulmener Maar is the Jungferweiher, a much older maar that was re-flooded in the mid twentieth century and now serves as a shallow lake and bird sanctuary. A circular trail of roughly three kilometres runs around it and there are observation points where you can often see waterfowl and other wildlife.
Between these two maars there is the Ulmener Maar Stollen, an old water tunnel cut through the volcanic rock that historically helped manage water between the basins and is now a visitor attraction you can walk through. Inside the tunnel you can see layers of volcanic deposits and sediments that tell the story of the region’s geological past.
Walking from the Jungferweiher to Ulmener Maar around Ulmen usually combines the connecting paths through forest and low hills, passing through the tunnel and returning through woodland and open fields, giving close contact with both crater lakes and the volcanic terrain between them. This is great on a hot day because the cool of the tunnel offers some relief from the heat and humidity of the lakes.
If you want something longer and more like a journey over passes and through changing landscapes, there is a long distance trail that begins at Ulmen and leads south through the maar region and down into the Ueßbach valley, eventually reaching Bad Bertrich with its thermal springs. This route takes you from the high volcanic plateaus past lakes, through forests and over gentle ridges into a warmer river valley and is often walked over two days.
Altogether Burg Ulmen and the surrounding maars offer a rare mix of medieval history and dramatic volcanic scenery. Walking from lake to lake here is not about high alpine passes but about moving through a rolling, crater shaped landscape where castles, forests, tunnels and dark blue lakes all sit within a few kilometres of one another, making it both rich in atmosphere and easy to explore on foot. It's pretty accessible for disabled people or those who just want an unchallenging but interesting stroll.
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