The Urftsee is a modest foothill of the Rursee and almost an integral part of the Eifel Nature Park. With a new bridge and an old dam over this lake, you will take a nice walk.

You start this loop around the Urftsee at an impressive spot. Vogelsang IP – the abbreviation stands for International Place – was a Hitlerian megalomaniac project in which the Nazis trained and formed their administrative elite. After the Second World War, it fell into the hands of the Allies. The Belgian armed forces had a large barracks there for fifty years. Today it is a documentation center on National Socialism and a base for discoveries in nature.

There's little to improvise along the way. Many trails have been closed to leave fauna and flora untouched, but also because many old bombs and ammunition were left behind at the former NATO training ground during the Cold War. The hiking trail is very flat and accessible up to the Urfttalsperre, after which it goes uphill and uphill on partly rocky forest paths. Alternatively, you can set off from the dam wall for a boat trip on the Rursee.

Arrival by car:

In Schleiden, follow the signs to the Eifel & Vogelsang IP Nature Park. Take a parking ticket at the barrier and drive to the spacious parking lot (V).

This route was created by Chris Van Minnebruggen in collaboration with Pasar vzw.
For more information and great tips for this route, check out Pasar Hiking Magazine (May 2023).