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Photo: ostbelgien.eu, CC BY-SA, East Belgium Tourist Agency
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The Route of Commemoration is a 96-km hiking loop that was opened in 2015. It passes many important battlefield and points of historical interest along the German-Belgian border, and joins up with other hiking trails in the municipalities of Büllingen, Bütgenbach und Waimes on the Belgian side of the border and Hellenthal and Monschau on the German side.
difficult
Distance 96.2 km
Duration29:18 h
Ascent1,447 m
Descent1,447 m
Highest point695 m
Lowest point400 m
Along the way, you will find a total of 30 information signs providing information in four languages about the war history of this area, like the Battle of the Bulge, smuggling, the Siegfried Line and many other topics. The picture that emerges is that for centuries, this region has been a flashpoint of history, and a place where borders have come and gone. And of course, it has also been the site of some of the bloodiest battles in the history of war. The boundary stones, bunkers and memorials all bear witness to this.
But this hike will also introduce you to the fascinating and varied landscape of the Eifel-Ardennes region. Although these border towns do belong to one country or the other, the hiker comes away from the Route of Commemoration having seen the close cultural connections and brotherhood that unites these people to this day.
Author’s recommendation
Obviously, for most hikers 96 km would be an ambitious effort for a single day. Officially, the loop is broken up into six stages. With a little planning, however, one can break it up into several day hikes of 10-25 km each. The whole loop is marked (look for the “dove of peace” icon), so it is easy to find your way back to it at any point.
Author
Tourismusagentur Ostbelgien
Update: January 24, 2024
Difficulty
difficult
Overall difficulty
difficult
Derived from the technical difficulty and the stamina requirements.
The loop takes hikers from Monschau via Küchelscheid, Botrange, Sourbrodt, Ovifat, Robertville, Bütgenbach, Krinkelt, Rocherath and Hellenthal, through the Eifel National Park via Höfen, and then back to Monschau. It can easily be broken up into six stages.
A hiking map on a scale of 1:40,000 with an altitude profile is available in four languages in the web shop on ostbelgien.eu and at the tourist information centres in the region at a price of €2.50.
Equipment
Sturdy footwear and normal hiking clothes should be entirely adequate.
Similar routes nearby
GR56 – Losheimergraben - Schönberg
GR 15 - Monschau / Eupen
GR56 – Büllingen - Schönberg
GR 56 - Bütgenbach / Büllingen
GR56 – Bütgenbach - Losheimergraben
These suggestions were generated by our system
Difficulty
difficult
Overall difficulty
difficult
Derived from the technical difficulty and the stamina requirements.
