Eifel Maars

When rising magma meets groundwater the water flashes to steam and blows out a crater in a single violent event; the resulting round hollow, often filled by a lake, is called a maar, a local Eifel word adopted into geology worldwide from this region. About seventy maars are known in the West Eifel, of which around a dozen hold water; the Pulvermaar is the deepest at seventy-four metres. The youngest volcanic event in Germany was the Ulmener Maar around eleven thousand years ago. Sediment cores from the maar floors preserve annually layered records used to date climate events across Europe.

What you actually see

• The round lakes - craters blown out by steam and filled with water.
• The Pulvermaar - the deepest of them at seventy-four metres.
• The dry maars - craters without water, now bog or meadow.
• The type locality - the region that gave the word maar to geology.

When to go

April to October; several maars allow swimming in summer. Autumn colour around the rims is good. The area is a UNESCO Global Geopark with marked trails.

Honest expectations

The maars are scattered and need a car. Some are private or fenced for conservation. They look like ordinary round lakes without the geological context.

Nearby

Maria Laach lies east; Manderscheid's castles are south.