Historical Limburg on the Vesder

A holiday-in-your-own-country walk through the Land of Herve, bordering the Ardennes. A beautiful piece of Liège located by the Vesder with the charming and historic town of Limbourg along the way. Various free passages through enormous meadows and steep paths in the Saint-Jacques forest with a more technical section by the rocks of Nez de Napoléon.

Today exploring a piece of Vesder valley on the border of the Ardennes and the Land of Herve. We descend to the northeast of the province of Liège, about 20 km from the German border. By train you can get there from Verviers-Central heading towards Welkenraedt & Aachen, where you can start this loop walk from the Dolhain-Gileppe station.

Via Rue Du Vivinal we reach the first Passerelle (Du Moulin) over the Vesder (Vesdre or Weser) after 400m. This 60 km long river originates in the High Fens near the German border and flows into the Meuse via the Ourthe. Unfortunately, you can still see the traces of destruction and vacancy that the floods of July 2021 caused here in Dolhain. We zigzagged through the core of Dolhain where we notice that only a few people have returned to the valley. Through some alleys, past Notre-Dame de la Visitation and the Passerelle de L' Electricité, we explore about 3 kilometers of this Vesder valley. In the distance, we see the church of Limbourg appearing on a ridge before us, where we continue our journey through a meadow with thousands of dandelions to the next bridge.

Arriving at Pont Des Anes, we cross the Vesder for the third time to make a climb towards the unassailable city of Limbourg. A city founded around the year 1000 that formed the capital of the Duchy of Limburg during the time of the Holy Roman Empire. It has now grown into a city of a full 5500 inhabitants, but above all one of the most beautiful villages in Wallonia (according to beauxvillages.be). This centuries-old fort located on a rock has managed to preserve a wealth of treasures of exceptional heritage, allowing you to experience the Middle Ages again. Here you have the Saint-Georges square and the 14th-century Saint-Georges church, the 17th-century L'Arvô which functioned as town hall and courthouse, the Virgin's Fountain, and the old city walls with sections from the 11th century. This old fortified town offers, besides its charming village square with a nice terrace, the opportunity to catch some beautiful viewpoints over the Vesder valley and the Land of Herve.

We leave this beautiful town via Chateau Poswick and a piece of old city wall, to once again descend towards the Vesder. Through the rolling meadows (with beautiful 'milka cows'), we feel exactly like we are in Austria, at the foot of some Alpine mountain - but without the peak sticking out behind it. Near a farmhouse, we leave the meadows to take a dead-end street 'Sur Les Sarts', leading us under railway line L37 through a tunnel.

To our right, we see a dilapidated building. This building was once the Preventorium of Dolhain and served, unlike a sanatorium, to prevent further infection with tuberculosis. Primarily intended for children, but also for some adults - from 1956 there were one hundred and fifty beds available for about 3 months of isolated living. In 1979, the Preventorium permanently closed its doors to come through various owners to this dilapidated building, which may someday function as residences.

We cross the Vesder one last time (and the N61), to walk through Bois Saint-Jacques towards a rocky piece - Nez de Napoléon. Through a more technical path we once again get a stunning view, but this time towards the Ardennes. A nice trail takes us next to the stream 'Pancherelle' further through this forest, near Bilstain. We hear in the distance engines from Domaine Enduro de Bilstain where trial bikes, quads, 4x4s, and motocross riders can let loose in this hilly area. We follow the edge of this domain to reach the village center of Bilstain.

This Old Dutch agricultural village Bilstain or 'Grooved Stone', probably referred to the rock mass - Nez de Napoléon. The hamlets Houyoux and Meuschemen also bring us through this rural landscape closer to the E40 highway & the high-speed line between Liège and Cologne. Just before railway line L37, we once again follow a nice path towards the Dolhain-Gileppe station to complete our sunny 18.5 km walk.

We can happily reminisce about a wonderful piece of holiday-in-your-own-country feeling in this Vesder valley on the border of 'The Land of Herve' and the Ardennes. A region we will definitely explore again, but then a bit further north - at the suggestion of a friendly farmer.