The crossing
Up to 100 m above the valley.
Kreuzschnabel — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Rabax63 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · H.E. Kliebisch — CC BY-SA 3.0 de · GerritR — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rabax63 — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Geierlay is a pedestrian suspension bridge in the low mountains of the Hunsrück in western Germany, about 35 km southwest of Koblenz in a straight line. It opened in 2015, spans 360 metres and rises up to 100 metres above the ground. The villages of Mörsdorf and Sosberg lie on either side of the bridge, and the Mörsdorfer Bach stream runs through the valley below. The nearest town is Kastellaun, 8 km to the east. Swiss engineer Hans Pfaffen designed it on the model of Nepalese suspension bridges. The bridge weighs 57 tonnes, is now the second longest rope suspension bridge in Germany and is listed among the country's top 100 sights. The narrow bridge, with its metal deck and steel ropes, crosses a deep valley covered in dense forest and sways gently under walkers' steps. From the middle there are views over the green valley and the surrounding hills, with the stream glinting below. Crossing is free in both directions. Visitors walk to the bridge from the car parks in Mörsdorf, then cross and return or carry on along the valley trails. About a fifth of visitors never cross and just look at it, as the height is considerable. The bridge is for pedestrians only.
Up to 100 m above the valley.
Dense forest.
Around the bridge.
Mörsdorf, Hunsrück, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Yes, in both directions.
From the Mörsdorf car parks.