Do you know what the Porta Nigra in Trier, Cologne Cathedral and Berlin’s Reichstag have in common? The stone they are all built of came from the same region in Butzweiler near Trier. “Pützlöcher” is the common name for a Roman quarry, where the large hewn stones used to build the Porta Nigra were cut from the cliffs. Copper ore had previously been mined here. Nine deep shafts still bear witness to this. Let a member of the local association take you down on a guided tour!

Today, not much remains to be seen of stone quarrying. The Pützlöcher are situated in a beautiful area of forest that can be accessed by varied hiking trails, in particular Stage 15 of the Eifelsteig from Kordel to Trier and the approximately 9 km long premium loop trail, the Römerpfad (Roman Path). The starting points for the Römerpfad are the car park below the ruins of Ramstein Castle near Kordel and the Ramstein Route car park near Butzweiler. The latter is closer to the Pützlöcher. Further stations along the loop trail include the Roman Long Wall, Ramstein Castle, the Genovevahöhle and Klausenhöhle caves and the suspension bridges in the romantic wilds of Butzerbachtal.

A station along the Roman roads.