Healing water: The water which comes to us from deep under ground is pleasantly warm at a temperature of 32°C. And it carries with it something special: healing compounds which have been dissolved from the rocks through which the water has passed. Ancient sediments, which were laid down on the seabed and then formed layers in the Rhenish Massif, are a source of sodium sulphate, in particular, so that the spring here in Bad Bertrich is the only Glauber’s salt thermal spa in Germany. The medicinal water is renowned for its healing powers, especially where metabolic disorders are concerned.

Even the ancient Romans knew this: Already around 2,000 years ago, they built a splendid bathhouse with a colonnaded temple here in Bertriacum. A couple of hundred metres from the town centre, one can see that Bad Bertrich is surrounded by seven extinct volcanoes. There, in the valley of a tributary of the River Üssbach, the so-called 'cheese cave' (follow signs 'Elfengrotte') is a geological rarity. Weathering has given the basalt columns a peculiar shape, so that the ancient volcanic rock now resembles a pile of cheeses.

Our tip: Simply follow the signposted Bad Bertrich Geo-Route and allow yourself to be led along the 10-kilometre-long trail to all the places of geological interest in the locality. Further information can be obtained at the Tourist Information Centre only 50 metres away.