Euregio walking route no. 182 Lignite mining route

From the Old Hickoryplein to the gem, a beautiful, somewhat hidden, Ursuline cemetery. The siren tranquility and the tastefully decorated courtyard immediately take you back to our origins and future.

To reach nature, we first walk along the back and the walls of the Rolduc abbey complex. Passing the vineyards, we then walk down the steep mountain slope to the former border post between the Netherlands and Germany. The border shop is still located on the corner here, where the cheap Dutch products are very attractive to the German neighbors. To reach nature we first have to leave the Grensstraat behind us and then cross the border river Worm along the old Baalsbrugger mill. With a beautiful view over the fields from this plateau, this walk takes us to the village of Hofstadt with the characteristic house bow and the water pump in the middle of the village.

Following the steep sunken road we pass the lost hamlet of Finckenrath, which has been swallowed up by former lignite mining and now forms a nature reserve. Having crossed the busy Aachen-Ruhr area railway crossing, we arrive at the Via Belgica and a large, thick boulder reminds us of the lignite mining and the disappearance of the hamlet. Now, however, we walk along the beautiful meandering border river Worm where the beaver is working hard on its castles. However, via the pedestrian bridge we go over the Euregio railway to walk along the other former lignite quarry, Carisborg. Through the built-up area of Kerkrade we walk to the center to arrive at the starting point.