Whoever goes to Rurquelle in the Belgian Fens does not initially believe that this enchanted place is only a few kilometers away from Aachen, Eupen or Liège. The seemingly endless expanse of high moorland far away from any human settlement, coupled with the rugged originality of this ancient landscape, captivates every visitor. If you would like to find out more about the "High Fens", you can visit the "Fania" exhibition in the Botrange Nature Park Center or the Ternell Nature Center, which is located directly on the route. You can also get a unique overview of the moorland landscape of the High Fens from the highest point in Belgium, the Signal de Botrange.
There is also plenty to discover outside the high moorland area, such as the idyllic Osthertogenwald forest right at the start of the tour, which conservationists are slowly but steadily deforesting and converting back into a mixed forest, as well as the idyllic Rur valley near Monschau. The route also has plenty to offer cyclists interested in history, such as the old cloth-making town of Monschau. Anyone who has strolled through the old town of Monschau will understand why Monschau is also known as the "Pearl of the Eifel" or the "Rhenish Rothenburg". Virtually nothing has changed in the townscape here for almost 300 years. An idyll of half-timbered houses and quarry stone buildings that is unparalleled today.
The former smugglers' village of Mützenich also looks back on an exciting and fascinating past and has some curious stories to tell. Having become a German exclave on Belgian territory due to the Vennbahn after the Second World War, coffee smuggling flourished in the village as it was at the center of the smuggling routes. By 1953, it was estimated that up to 1000 tons were smuggled across the border.
The Reichenstein Monastery completes the list of highlights along the route. The complex, which includes over 32 hectares of forest and a fish pond, is located on a rocky plateau at the mouth of the Rur, which meanders through the valley between Kalterherberg and Eschweide.
Sights along the route:
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<p><a class="routeYou_embed" href="https://www.routeyou.com/en-be/route/view/14118677?utm_source=embed&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=routeshare" title="Entlang der Rur ins Hohe Venn - RouteYou" target="_blank"><img src="https://image.routeyou.com/embed/route/960x670/[email protected]" width="960" height="670" alt="Entlang der Rur ins Hohe Venn"></a></p>
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