Mindener-Layen
Minden
Between Minden and Echternacherbrück, a warm and dry hillside of shell limestone stretches along the Sauer for more than a kilometer. High rocks, "Layen", rise up on the edge of the slope. The entire slope is terraced with low dry stone walls. Wild orchids thrive on these water-permeable, fast-warming soils.
The monks of Echternach Abbey used to grow wine in the Mindener Layen, but it was not until the 1950s that viticulture was abandoned here - until a few years ago, when a small vineyard was planted again thanks to the initiative of a local mayor. Today, it is possible to sponsor up to 5 vines.
Between the vineyard and the River Sûre, there is a sculpture made from around 3,000 old vines on the Sûre cycle path: The Wine Gate.
Our tip:
Hiking trail no. 68 of the Southern Eifel Nature Park leads through the Mindener Layen.
