City Tour Zell (Mosel)

Many sights and stories of the town of Zell (Mosel) can be told along a route of about three kilometres, which starts at the Tourist Information in the town hall.

With the "Zeller Schwarze Katz" fountain, the citizens have created a worthy memorial to their world-famous wine, the "Zeller Schwarze Katz" large vineyard. The fountain was already created in 1936 from Eifel basalt. "He steiht ferm wie en Celler us dem Hamm" - "He stands firm like a Celler from the Hamm", is the inscription on the fountain, because in 1522 during the defence of Trier against the onslaught of Franz von Sickingen, a hundred citizens of Zell made their way to Trier to repel this onslaught. The people of Trier finally succeeded with the support of the people of Zell.

On the way through the pedestrian zone, you pass two of the three oldest houses in Zell. The house "Müllen", (Balduinstraße 37) was built in 1532 and served as a castle house for the Electorate of Trier. The house "Bohn", (Balduinstraße 32) from 1535 was built in late Gothic style. In the Zell-Merl district is the House of Flottwell, Hauptstraße 32. The quarry stone masonry was built around 1260. The half-timbering dates from 1480 and the plank wall is from 1565.

A few steps further on, the view of the "Round Tum" opens up to the left. The "Round Tower", the landmark of the town of Zell (Mosel), was the uppermost tower of the former town fortifications. After the great fire in 1848, all but a few remains were demolished and the stones used to build houses. The round tower and the square tower, however, remained and served as emergency dwellings. The tower is 14 metres high and six metres in diameter. Even today, you can clearly see the embrasures, which gave the tower the nickname "Powder Tower".

Now it is not far to the flood protection wall in Fährgasse. The flood protection wall on the banks of the Mosel was built in 1989 to protect the old town. The Mosel only floods the city when the water level reaches 8.70 metres (in Trier). (Normal level: 2.50 metres - 2.70 metres). In 1993, the Mosel reached a level of 11.30 metres, one of the highest floods of recent centuries.

Continue along the Mosel promenade where you can see the "Boos von Waldeckhof" (today's Treis Winery) on the left in the Zell-Kaimt district, which was built in 1580. The building is one of the most beautiful half-timbered houses in the Mosel valley. It belonged to the noble family of Boos von Waldeck, a branch of the Trier ministerial dynasty of Waldeck documented since 1242, which was later raised to the rank of count. The Catholic parish church of St. James is also clearly visible. The present church was built in 1969/1970 according to the plans of the architect Karl-Peter Böhr.

On the path along the Mosel promenade, the footbridge now appears. From here you can get a good view of the "Zeller Schwarze Katz" vineyard sign and the Collis tower (built in 1906 from red brick) high above the vineyards of Zell (Mosel). A shelter used to stand on the same spot, but it fell victim to a "firebug". For this reason, the Zell chapter of the then Mosel-Hochwald-Hunsrück Association decided to build the Colli Tower. The Mosel Valley Railway provided the building material for the masonry of the tower. The tower, which is visible from afar today, is almost eight metres high and has a weather vane on the roof. The Collis steep path or the Collis circular hiking trail leads to the Collis tower with its viewing platform. This is a popular destination for hikers, who have a magnificent view of Zell and the Mosel valley from here.

The trail continues along the Mosel, past the old railway station and the Zell community centre, into Schlossstraße to the Protestant church. The church was built in 1866 on Schüttergrund. Therefore, the foundation did not have enough support and there was a danger of collapse. Since repairs would have been as expensive as a new building, the church was demolished in 1954. When the church was rebuilt, the demands that the senior of sacred building, Professor Otto Bartning, placed on church construction were adhered to exactly. It was to be, and still is today, a "roofed creed". The four bronze bells were coordinated in their pitch and tone sequence with the ringing of the Catholic church.

Not far away is the Electoral Residence Palace in Zell. The late-Gothic town palace is considered one of the most beautiful Baroque proto-buildings on the Mosel. It was built under various electors. The uphill building was constructed of quarry stone, using red and white sandstone. It is flanked by two round towers. This rear, two-tower wing is used today as a hotel. The front wing, abutting Schlossstraße, is flanked by two towers and was built in 1542. The two-storey intermediate building was also erected in the 16th century. At the same time, the courtyard and garden were given an enclosure, the pillars of which bear sandstone figures from the Rococo period, of Diana, Apollo and probably Minerva.

The synagogue was housed in an outbuilding of the Electoral Palace. The entrance to the synagogue is in Jakobsstraße. Above the entrance portal are reliefs of a seven-branched candelabrum and the Ten Commandments. In 1849, the then District Administrator Alexander Moritz sold the upper floors of the Domestiken building, which belonged to Zell Castle, to the Israelite community of Briedel-Zell. Since the congregation was constantly growing, there was no longer enough room for the worshippers in the mid-1920s. For this reason, it was decided to create more space inside the synagogue and a women's gallery was built. A starry sky and a larger Torah shrine were also built as part of this construction project. The "Friends of Zell Synagogue" have succeeded in preserving the house of worship as a memorial and making it accessible to visitors.

The neo-classical church of St. Peter in Zell (Mosel) was built in 1786-1793 in what was then the Kellnereigarten, in front of the lower gate of medieval Zell, and now stands in the town centre. The church, built of red sandstone, is one of the most beautiful of this classicist style in the Mosel valley. The interior is largely from the rococo period and the church building. The high altar from 1787, in the form of a baldachin supported on four columns, was created by the Trier sculptor Matthias Höpp. The side altar contains the most beautiful and precious decoration of today's parish church, a magnificent late Gothic Madonna figure made of wood.

The mosaic on the church wall of the parish church of St. Peter in Balduinstraße shows the history of Zell. Among other things, it shows the coat of arms of the town of Zell (Mosel) and its three twin towns (Antoing, Triptis, Crépy-en-Valois), the Round Tower, the Square Tower, the "Zeller Schwarze Katz" fountain, the Mosel loop, the Hunger Cross, the Executioner's Cross, representations from Roman and Celtic times and the town fortifications of 1229.

Tip: St. Michael's Catholic parish church. Only the east tower of the former church still towers over the Zell-Merl district. Today's parish church is the convent church of the former Minorite monastery, which is estimated to have been founded around 1290. Inside the single-nave church you can admire an Antwerp carved altar from around 1525, which is one of the most magnificent and beautiful of its kind. Above the sacristy is the oldest roof truss in Germany (1290).

We now walk along the Römerstraße, past the Zell "waterfall", to the "Viereckiger Turm" (square tower). The "Viereckiger Turm" is part of the old town fortifications and served as protection against troops from the Zeller Bachtal. In early modern times it was the "Amtsgefängnis" (official prison) and was called the "Bachturm" or "gra(u)er Thörn (tower)" in 1626. On old town views from 1576 and 1646, you can still see corner towers and a steep roof. With its six storeys and the ground floor, it has a height of 22 metres. Inside the tower, you can see two mighty oak beams with an old lintel and four large window openings. The current archways were only created in the 19th century as access to the cemetery.

Back at the starting point, it's worth taking a look at the wine and local history museum in the town hall. Opening hours: Wed. to Sun. 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., admission until 4:30 p.m

via the B53 to the opposite side of the Mosel (via the Bullay double-decker bridge or the Zell-Kaimt motorway bridge). Then keep straight on until you reach the town hall, Balduinstr. 44, 56856 Zell (Mosel)

Public parking spaces along the Mosel promenade (subject to charge)

Free parking in the streets "Brandenburg" and "Am Bahnhof".

by train to Bullay and further with the lines 720,721 or 750 to Zell (Mosel) Lindenplatz

https://www.zellerland.de/ihr-zeller-land/unsere-ferienregion/zellmosel