On his way to the Baroque church in Saffig, Laachus doesn’t stop to rest. A doe has told him that he might find the answer to his question there. Finally, he stands before the Baroque parish church, built in 1742. The three-story onion-domed tower soars high into the sky. But Laachus has no time to look at it, nor at the neo-Baroque organ or the lava baptismal font—he’s in a hurry to reach the chubby-cheeked carved cherubs that populate the high altar and will give him an answer to his question. But all of the more than a dozen cherubs are talking excitedly over one another. With great effort, Laachus can only catch words here and there like “Volcano Park Information Center” and “Rauschermühle.” Since the cherubs won’t calm down at all, Laachus lets them keep chattering and hurries to the Volcano Park Information Center. There, Laachus gets an overview of the wide range of geological and archaeological topics at the Volcano Park. From the fiery history of the East Eifel’s formation to its over 7,000-year history of mining, he gets an overview of all the region’s attractions, including the “mofettes” (carbon dioxide vents) in Lake Laach (N50° 24.773 / E007° 17.144). Laachus is overwhelmed and wonders if his ability to swim might have something to do with the volcanoes. As he ponders this, he hears a sweet little bell ringing. “I am the bell of the Rauschermühle. Once, I rescued the lost Count von der Leyen from the thicket of the forest and led him to the four monastic brothers of the Rauschermühle. Now I’ll ring out the path along the Nette and the Krufter Bach to the Roman mine at Meurin. There you’ll come closer to the answer to your question.” Laachus, who by now is no longer surprised by anything, curiously follows the sound of the little bell and continues on his way to find out why he can swim.

Location information: 

Baroque Church of Saffig, Hauptstraße 31, 56648 Saffig

Volcano Park Information Center, Rauschermühle 6, 56637 Plaidt