Eupense loop walk through the upper town

When Eupen was first mentioned in 1213, it belonged to the small Grand Duchy of Limburg; After the Battle of Worringen (1288), Limburg joined the Duchy of Brabant and shared the changing history of Brabant and what would later become Belgium for over 500 years. The rulers of Brabant were: Burgundy from 1387, Austria from 1477, Spain from 1555, again Austria from 1714 and France from 1794. With the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo and the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815), the former Duchy of Limburg was divided, with the eastern part (with Eupen) being assigned to Prussia. With the Treaty of Versailles (1919-1920), which ended World War I, the state border was again moved eastward. In this way, the eastern part of the former Duchy of Limburg became Belgian territory, with a short German capture from May 1940 to September 1944. Eupen still has many well-preserved merchants' houses from the 18th century. These buildings bear witness to the economic prosperity the city has experienced thanks to the global expansion of the thriving fabric industry.

The city of Eupen is the capital of the German-speaking Community and has 18,032 inhabitants. To the north and west it is surrounded by meadows, to the east and south are
urban forests and Hertogenwoud. It is remarkable that the city is divided into two parts: on the one hand in the upper town, which lies in a wide protruding valley, and on the other hand in the lower town, which settled on the banks of the Vesder and the hill. While the lower town, with its old part of the town, extends to the Hertogenwoud and the land of the cable factories on the Vesder, the upper town is labeled as a shopping and trading town. This walk passes through the upper town.

Start and end of the hike: Eupen Tourist Office, Marktplatz, 7, B-4700 EUPEN

Public transport: SNCB Eupen, BAHNHOFSTRASSE, 2
B-4700 EUPEN

Free parking in the station car park
Paid parking: Werthplatz, B-4700 EUPEN