A Rainy Afternoon in Monschau

Half-timbered houses along the Rur River that flows through Monschau.

On the day after Thanksgiving we took the bus to Monschau, Germany. This very picturesque village is nestled in the North Eifel mountain range, not far from the Dutch and Belgian borders. The first leg of the trip was on the bus from Maastricht to Aachen. From Aachen we rode 2 more buses to get to Monschau. It was a long trip, but we enjoyed the ride.

On the road from Maastricht to Aachen

The scenery on the Maastricht to Aachen road is beautiful! Rolling hills with manicured fields stretch between neat little villages. We saw lots of cows, goats, horses, and poultry along the way. Sheep dotted many of the hillsides. A blue Bundesrepublik Deutschland sign with the European Union symbol (a circle of 12 yellow stars on a blue background) marked the place where we entered Germany.

In the fields near the town of Schmithof, Germany, I noticed that there were rows of large pyramid shaped stones, 3 or 4 feet tall, that stretched as far as the eye could see! I pointed them out to Jim. He knew what they were (Jim is like a walking Wikipedia). They are "dragon's teeth," remnants of the Siegfried Line that was constructed by Hitler as a line of defense during World War II (Germans call it der Westwall). These concrete barriers were supposed to deter tanks. But the dragon's teeth were not very effective. The Allies' combat engineers easily devised ways to breach the line. 

Dragon's teeth in der Westwall near Schmithof, Germany

The strange sight of those endless dragon's teeth were a chilling reminder of the dreadful times this area endured during World War II. Many of the towns and villages on either side of the German border suffered terrible hardship and damage to their precious ancient buildings. Monschau lies close to the site of the Battle of the Bulge, and there were fierce battles fought along the winding road that leads to the town. But the medieval village was spared, and its historic streets look much the way they did when they were first constructed.

The Rotes Haus, Monschau

It was raining lightly when we arrived in Monschau (we forgot to bring umbrellas, of course). We wandered around some of the narrow cobblestone streets and admired the medieval half-timbered houses (fachwerk in German) and 18th century buildings built when Monschau had a booming textile industry. Towering over the older structures in the town is the Rotes Haus (Red House). This  beautiful 8 storey building was built in 1752 by a cloth baron named Scheibler. The house was used as a family home, and also housed Scheibler's business office. Curious to see the rest of the town, we passed by the Rotes Haus Museum, intending to return for a tour of the house later on. 

Weinachtsmarkt, Monschau

Glühwein!

We didn't get far before it started to pour. We found shelter in a cozy cafe and ordered bratwurst and tea, hoping to continue our tour when the rain let up. It never did! Leaving the cafe, we hurried along in the downpour, stopping under awnings and overhangs every now and then for a break. The Weinachtsmarkt (Christmas Market) was in full swing in Monschau, so we checked out the goodies being sold in the quaint little wooden houses, and stopped to drink some delicious glühwein. This warmed concoction is made with spiced wine- it's so delicious!! (a great thing about Weinachtsmarkt glühwein is that you get to keep the mug). The glühwein kept us warm for a few minutes, but the rain was relentless, and we were feeling the cold. We decided to cut short our visit to this beautiful little village. We'd love to return to Monschau on a sunny day when we can explore the ancient town in comfort, and hike some of the paths in the surrounding hills. There's a castle built high above the town that has a youth hostel in it! That would also be something to see. We'll be back, Monschau...