Three Reasons to Visit Monschau, Monschau, Germany

In my article ‘Top city sight in Aachen ’ I mentioned how one can make a day trip from Aachen to Monschau.

This is exactly what I did last week when I visited my mom for her 83rd birthday in Aachen. I also thought it will also be a good idea to ask my dad (age 85) to accompany me on my road trip to Monschau as I needed a photographer.

My dad was very excited about the invitation and offered to take me on a journey back in time, in his silver Jaguar XK 8 convertible. I think he looked forward to reminiscing about the good old days and to sharing his memories of this 12th Century town with me. We left Aachen around mid-morning and drove along the most picturesque road for about 30 km to reach Monschau.

If you’ve never been to Monschau, it is not a place you will easily drive past because it has such a unique appearance. This hilly medieval town lies on the border of Belgium and the northern edge of the German Eifel. It is basically right on the banks of the Rur river. You may notice from the many photos of the town that the river flows almost directly on the same levels as the houses.

Monschau Castle was built at the end of the 12th century and became a town in 1352. In 1543, it was conquered by imperial troops and almost destroyed. Then, at the start of the 18th century, the town was revived due to the rise of several textile mills causing the industry to flourish. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).