Eupen - Moorenhöhe

The panoramic board Eupen Moorenhöhe offers an outstanding view of the lower town and explains amongst others buildings from the heyday of the textile industry (19th century).

Four kilometres from the centre of Eupen, an enormous concrete wall rises up above the confluence of the Weser and the Getzbach: the Weser dam, built in the years 1936-1942 and 1946-1949. Including its anchorage, the dam wall is 63 metres high, with a dammed water level of 57 metres. The water from the Weserbach, the Getzbach and the Hillbach all flows into this reservoir. When it is full, the surface area of the water is 126 hectares (311 acres). The reservoir supplies Eupen, the Pays de Herve, the country around Liège and the domain of Sart Tilman with drinking water. The water is not pumped, but flows under its own weight all the way to Seraing. Even in dry years, an average drinking water supply of 71,500 m3 can be guaranteed. The immediate vicinity is supplied with electricity by a small hydroelectric station built at the foot of the dam wall, the annual output of which is 3 to 4 million kilowatt hours. To prevent the water from getting contaminated, the whole of the catchment area is under protection. In recent years, the Weser dam has developed to become a destination for excursions on account of the many leisure amenities, and it is especially popular with hikers and cyclists. Fans of technology are very keen on the educational water trail. Climbers also get their money's worth, because the former lookout tower has been given a new function as a climbing tower. To regain your strength, it's a good idea to visit the bistro and restaurant "Weser Dam Visitors' Centre". The view out over the lake and dam from the terrace is stunning. Apart from that, the younger visitors can enjoy themselves in the large playground.

The nature centre 'Haus Ternell', at Monschauer Strasse – Ternell 2-3, is located in the idyllic Hertogenwald, not far from the nature reserve of the High Fens, and is an ideal starting point for nice long walks through the fen and woodland landscape. To get you in the right mood, the natural history fen and forest museum exhibits indigenous animals and plants in their natural environment and explains how the High Fens came into being. The café-res¬taurant spoils visitors with its regional specialities, home-made cake and Belgian beers.

The High Fens are a biotope of a kind almost unique in Europe. The peat layer is up to eight metres thick. Over vast areas, the High Fens are like an enormous sponge. Access is strictly controlled. Where it is permitted, boardwalks and signposted routes guide the visitor safely through a natural landscape, which has a charm of its own at any time of the year. In the spring, our gaze wanders over meadows of wild daffodils and tussocky cotton grass, in summer over ponds in which water birds raise their brood, in the autumn over russet heathland, and in winter over a desert of ice and snow, which has a positively Siberian feel to it. Because of the harsh climate with an average temperature of only 6.1°C, the High Fens are home to numerous very rare plant species indigenous to Northern Europe, the mountain regions and the Atlantic region. Moor grasses rub their tussocky, mushroom-shaped heads together. Common rushes wave in the wind. Bilberries, bog rosemary and bog asphodel form an herbaceous cushion. Yet the fen landscape as we know it today came about mainly under human influence. Pasture farming, the clearance of woodland and peat cutting have all created open areas. Right on into the Middle Ages, 90% of the High Fens was covered in deciduous forest. From about 1840 on, many heathland areas were planted with spruces. So that the remaining moorland can be protected together with its fauna and flora, an area of 4500 hectares (11,120 acres) has been designated as a conservation area since 1957. The most sensitive zones are off limits, whilst access to others is only permitted accompanied by a certified hiking guide.

Eupen is surrounded by a unique natural landscape. The Hertogenwald south of the town is regarded as the gateway to the nature reserve of the High Fens. With its area of 12,300 hectares (30,400 acres), the Hertogenwald is one of the largest enclosed high forest areas in the Ardennes. It's a wonderful place for families too, for example with the forest and adventure tail 'Foxy' (2.5 km) and the water adventure trail (1 km), which are both at the Weser dam near Eupen.

St. Joseph's Church was built in the middle of the 19th century to plans by Cologne's cathedral architect Vincenz Statz. It's the most important monument to histo­ricism in Eupen. This neo-Gothic style is unique.

This imposing townhouse at Haasstrasse 1-3, dating from the 18th century, has three large storeys and was inhabited for a long time by the merchant family Römer.

The buildings of the former spinning mill bear witness to the rapid development at the beginning of the 20th century. These buildings were no longer planned in detail; instead, a spacious, multi-storey facility was built in red brick in a uniform but remarkable style. This became Europe's most modern worsted spinning facility, and it went on producing until the 1970s. Today, the building is part of the Kabelwerk Eupen AG complex.

Behind the former worsted works, the buildings of today's Kabelwerk Eupen AG are situated. Having begun as a rope factory in the Neustrasse, the enterprise has now become one of Europe's leading manufacturers in the cable sector. It has 900 employees.