A Day in Hahn, Germany

In the heart of the Hunsrück, the forested hillside chain of Rhineland-Palatinate, the small town of Hahn owes its international notoriety to an airport born on a former American military base.

Around the runway, however, a rural landscape remains made of coniferous forests, meadows, and stone villages that tell of less well-known Germany.

The visit begins from the area of the former NATO base, repurposed after the withdrawal of American troops in the nineteen-nineties, today flanked by cycling paths carved from old military trails.

Proceeding toward the Hunsruck forests, scenic hiking paths open up, very popular in the autumn months for the foliage colors and the quiet of the trails.

A few kilometers away are villages such as Kirchberg, with half-timbered houses and small Romanesque churches that testify to the typical rural architecture of the region.

As evening approaches, local inns propose dishes of Rhenish tradition, from potato dumplings to wild game roasts accompanied by white wines from nearby Moselle.

Hahn remains primarily a place of passage, but its history of conversion from military base to civil airport is an interesting case of territorial transformation.

Stopping for a few hours before or after a flight makes it possible to discover a genuine corner of the Hunsrück region, far from the tourist flows of the Rhine cities.