Vulkanring Vogelsberg

Around the largest volcano in Europe

The Vulkanring Vogelsberg, which was newly marked out in 2005, is a circular trail in the Upper Vogelsberg nature reserve. Linking a number of natural and geological features, the 125km route runs along the edge of forests to vantage points through some of the most beautiful meadow and river valleys. It connects romantic villages and little medieval towns with beautifully kept palaces and parks. Walkers will discover a landscape shaped by volcanic activity not only in the valley of the 'black river' in the Oberwald with its bizarre basalt formations, but also in small disused quarries or as construction materials for houses, fountains and roads.

The Vogelsberg hills is the only range in central Europe where such colossal masses of lava have erupted from the depths of the planet. Between 7 and 13 million years ago, the molten mass spewed out of a myriad of funnels and fissures to form what is now Germany's only shield volcano. Erosion and weathering have since whittled the mountains down into a region of highlights, now clad with magnificent beech forests and open plains, divided up by dry stone walls and hedges and dotted with free-standing shady trees. Looking over the countryside from one of the many vantage points, visitors may feel as if they are in a large park.

The Oberwald, on the other hand, is covered in primeval forest. The sparsely populated range of hills with its wetlands and harsh winters has always been steeped in legend, which is no surprise considering it is in Hessen - a region known for its myths and fairytales. Nor is it any wonder that the Upper Vogelsberg region became Germany's first nature reserve in 1958. Easily accessible car parks, facilities and trails were also built around the highest elevations - Taufstein (773m), Hoherodskopf (764m), Herchenhainer Höhe (733m) and the Schlossberg in Ulrichstein - to help bring walkers closer to nature. The Vulkanring Vogelsberg is a fine addition to the 3,000km network of trails marked out by the Vogelsberg Rambling Club in the intervening years.