The top model is getting on a bit. She’s more than 600 years old, but is rather slim and nicely made up. The Spitzhäuschen (pointed house) wine bar is the undisputed favourite with the public and probably the most photographed timber-framed house in Bernkastel-Kues, which has plenty of these attractions. Somewhat hidden away with its narrow ground floor, the two overhanging floors and the pointed gable, it peeks out from Karlstrasse on to the medieval market square. This is where you’ll find even more of these beauties. Almost all of them a few centuries old but in excellent condition.
The square was built in the Middle Ages by confident, enterprising and proud local citizens and still exudes their spirit. The splendidly ornate gabled timber-framed houses with their usually multi-level slate roofs date mostly from the 16th and 17th centuries. Just like the stone Renaissance town hall. At its entrance you can still see the pillory dating from the Middle Ages.
Even in the 19th century, general goods and livestock markets were held on this square. The market in Bernkastel has since been upgraded to a ballroom. A true gem and an ideal spot for Moselle flowers. This is the name for the traditional women’s costumes of the Moselle as well as the women who wear them. And you can meet them every year in early September at the five-day Central Moselle wine festival. You can then explore the taste of Moselle wines at dozens of wine stands or visit the amusement park on the Kueser Moselufer (left bank of the Moselle). A golden moment is when fireworks light up the river valley over the ruined Landshut Castle on Saturdays.
Also unforgettable is the magnificent and well-known Christmas market that takes place very year in the magical atmosphere of the market square.
Half-timbered houses on the historic market square of Bernkastel-Kues, Moselle valley
You only need to take a few steps from the market square to the east and you get to the Bernkasteler Bärensteig via Kallenfelsstrasse. A wonderful hiking tour lies ahead of you through scenic forests and alongside the vineyards.
The Landshut Castle ruins with a fantastic view over the Moselle loop, the Kues district on the left bank of the Moselle.
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