Discover Bellheim: forests, trails and culture

Exploring the outdoors in Bellheim

At the edge of the forest, next to the Schützenhaus at the end of Forststraße, you’ll find the adventure playground. Its facilities include a water play area, logs for climbing and balancing, swings, climbing towers, a zip line and a forest discovery trail. The combination of water play, physical activity and nature offers a variety of ways to enjoy time outdoors together. There is also an herb trail on the grounds of the Alte Sägewerk Mittelmühle. In the forest north of Bellheim stands an Elwetritschen observation platform.

If you’d like to visit several points of interest along the way, you can include the Queichwiesen Loop in your plans. This circular hike, about five kilometres long, starts and ends at the Schützenhaus Bellheim. En route, it passes the adventure playground, the war memorial, the Spiegelbach, the Knittelsheimer Mühle and the remains of the former ammunition railway from the Second World War. The route thus brings together nature and history, with a clearly defined starting and finishing point. The distance is approximate; check local trail conditions before setting out.

Culture, seasons and history

The “Alter Kindergarten” cultural workshop gives the cultural association space for changing exhibitions, small concerts, readings and talks. It also regularly hosts the “Open Stage,” featuring music, cabaret and poetry slam. If you’d like an event to shape your stay, check the current programme before your visit.

The Spiegelbachpark is the setting for a range of seasonal events: the Bellheim Garden Days traditionally take place there at Pentecost, while in Advent the park provides the backdrop for the St Nicholas Market. Another tradition is the Bockbier Festival: every year on the second weekend in October, on the eve of the Bellemer Kerwe fair, a distinguished Bellheim resident is named the Bellheim Lord. These events offer different ways to plan your trip around local occasions; check the event dates if you have a specific visit in mind.

History also has a place of its own here. At the deserted settlement of Friedrichsbühl, the remains of a former Electoral Palatinate hunting lodge have been preserved. Built in 1550, the lodge was destroyed during the Thirty Years’ War. Contemporary cultural events and the area’s history thus stand side by side as distinct facets of Bellheim.

Bellheim within the wider Germersheim destination

Looking beyond Bellheim to the wider Germersheim destination reveals more landscape and cultural highlights. The Queich Mills Circular Trail around Bellheim connects four of the six surviving mills, bringing the area’s milling heritage to life. The Queich meadows form an approximately 350-hectare grassland irrigation system that is still in active use. It stretches from Landau through Offenbach, Hochstadt, Ottersheim, Knittelsheim, Bellheim and Zeiskam to Germersheim. This water and milling heritage can therefore be explored as a regional theme that extends beyond any one town.

In Germersheim itself, the fortress is considered the largest Bavarian fortress outside Bavaria; numerous significant structures that have been preserved encircle the entire town centre. For a different perspective, take the Germersheim Waterways cycling tour to the Palatinate Rhine floodplains in the Insel Grün nature reserve. It follows mostly paved cycle paths around Germersheim, passing numerous bodies of water, the Rhine embankment, the mouth of the Queich and the old Rhine channels in the Palatinate. The tour is suitable for family outings and can be shortened. In comparison, this regional cycling option differs considerably from the approximately five-kilometre circular hike in Bellheim: here, the focus is on a cycling tour with the option to take a shortcut; there, on a set walking route.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Neupotz, Neuburg Am Rhein, Jockgrim, Minfeld, Zeiskam, Rülzheim, Hördt, Winden.

Back to the main travel guide: Germersheim.