The walk in Kelmis (called La Calamine in French) takes you through this former mining district to Eyneburg Castle. Metal ores – and especially zinc ore – were extracted from underground mining galleries (tunnels) around here. A number of unusual and rare plants thrive in the metal-rich soil, including daffodils and orchids – and Calamine Violets, which are found almost nowhere else. Eyneburg Castle is another highlight of this walk. According to legend, Emma, the daughter of Emperor Charlemagne, lived in the castle some fourteen hundred years ago. That is why the castle is also called Emmaburg. The story goes that she fell in love with a friend of her father, called Einhard, but they didn’t dare tell her father, and so met in secret in this castle.
The walk begins at the Casino pond, where the zinc ores were washed. From here you follow the course of the River Göhl, past rugged rocks and an old castle wall. The Eyneburg Castle stands on a hilltop. The Hohnbach valley begins right behind it – awash with wild daffodils in spring. You soon come to an old railway line, which you follow for a while through the valley. This railway used to carry ore to Kelmis. At the end, you go through a turnstile, and then follow a small path back to the River Göhl.
