Kall Reservoir and Löns Rock

Starting and ending point of the circular hiking trail is the church of St. Johann Baptist in Simmerath. The origin of the white hall church dates back to the 14th century. It is modeled after a Roman basilica and is still relatively young in parts. The old church was almost completely destroyed in World War II, before being rebuilt in 1952 by the active population and generous donors.
We leave Simmerath in a northerly direction and after about a kilometer we reach the river Kall, which meanders from the eastern edge of the High Fens over 25 kilometers to Zerkall, where it flows into the Rur. The Kall presents itself as almost undeveloped, freely flowing medium mountain river between Simmerath and the Kalltalsperre. Together with the side valleys intersected by smaller streams, the Kall valley provides an ideal retreat and habitat for the typical communities of natural waters in the Rureifel. This includes populations of many rare plant species as well as populations of beavers, kingfishers, and rare bat species. Due to this biodiversity, the valley has been under nature protection for almost 20 years, offering a pure nature experience.
We follow the course of the valley, accompanied by the babbling of the Kall, for about 2.5 kilometers and shortly after crossing the B266, we reach the remains of Mathars Mühle. The Lammersdorfer Mühle with a residential house, stable, and barn was first mentioned in a document in 1516. It belonged to the so-called Bannmühlen, where people from the region had to have their grain ground. When Josef Mathar, the last miller, died in 1955, the complex fell into disrepair and was demolished in 1970. Today, the old millstone and a cross there serve as a reminder of the mill.
Continuing along the Kall, we finally reach the Kalltalsperre. The dam, built in 1934, holds over 2 million cubic meters of drinking water and not only supplies the Städteregion Aachen and parts of the district of Heinsberg with water, but also provides a great view.
The path leads along the shore once completely around the entire reservoir. At the northeastern tip of the reservoir, it passes the so-called Kaiserfelsen. Truly majestic, the rocks rise from solid Devogestein on both sides of the path. Where the path bends to the left, there is a beautiful view of the natural monument.
Along the eastern shore of the reservoir and then through forests and meadows, we head back towards Simmerath. Shortly before reaching the village, we come across the so-called Lönsfelsen. It is named after the local poet and nature lover Hermann Löns (1866-1914), who declared an intimate declaration of love to the landscape of the High Fens with the multifaceted depiction of a courtship hunt. In gratitude, a relief image on the west side of the rock has commemorated the poet since 1926. In addition to the inscription "Hermann Löns," his favorite bird, the owl, is also depicted there. From here, there is a very nice view towards Lammersdorf before the path leads us back to the starting point of the tour.