On 10 April 1815 , a huge eruption of Mount Tambora on the now Indonesian island of Sumbawa formed an ash cloud that darkened the atmosphere , which in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere brought about the following year what has come to be known as the Year Without a Summer . The winter leading up to this was especially harsh in the Eifel . Snow lay on the ground until June . Harvesting could only be done in October , and then only in part , as new frost came , destroying the greater part of the crops . Famine followed . In 1817 , 392 inhabitants were counted in Müllenbach , all of whom were Catholic . On 5 December of this year in the Hochpochten wooded area , 3 of the 9 members of the so-called '' Alfler Bande '' were caught . These people were suspected of having murdered the Kaifenheim parish priest on 21 November ; 5 further members were caught in Alflen
Year Without a Summer
Year Without a Summer
Müllenbach, Cochem-Zell