On the hiking map at the parking lot, we discover that Rohren and its surroundings have a lot to offer. The nature trail also starts here, leading to the charcoal pile and the historic sawmill in the Kluckbach valley. But we'll save that for another hike. Today's destination is the village itself. On the way to the church, we first reach the former vicarage. The two mighty lime trees in the front garden, the quarrystone and half-timbered façade and the artistically crafted front door are pure romance. Time seems to have stood still here. It has not left the parish church untouched. The people of Rohren built their first church in 1700, which had to make way for a more spacious new building in 1865. When it was blown up by the SS in September 1944, the tower fell onto the nave. The people of Rohren and Widdau managed to preserve a large part of the outer walls and rebuild their place of worship. In the nave, a reminder of the old days has survived. It is a memorial stone from 1724, which is located above the entrance. Opposite the church, we notice a peculiar stand with a plaque informing us about the history of the place. It is a replica of a draw well, as can be seen in old photographs. Until the construction of the water pipeline in 1957, the inhabitants used the "Pötzroot", a wooden pole with a hook and bucket, to draw water from the wells in front of the houses. Incidentally, there is a well in the quarry stone wall in the hedge. We continue our walk through the park with its shelter and old fruit trees. The building at the corner of Dröft and Markstockstraße, which now houses a grocery store, has a special significance. It was the first schoolhouse built in 1830, complete with a teacher's apartment. Soon there was no longer enough space. In 1865, a new school was built opposite. Since 1968, children from Rohren have attended the elementary school in Höfen. Today, the school building serves as a holiday home for youth groups. Behind the Rohren "supply center" is a small chapel built in 1903. It is dedicated to St. Joseph, whose death scene is depicted inside. "Jesus, Mary, Joseph, stand by us in the hour of death" can be read on a plaque. Prayers for the dying are still said here today. We continue past pretty houses and well-tended front gardens on our way through Lommersgasse and Riehelskuhl. It is now slightly uphill to the main road. The fact that we don't come across any old houses on our tour is the result of the fierce fighting from the fall of 1944 to the beginning of 1945. A few months were enough to reduce Alt-Rohren to rubble. Only two houses remained intact. One of the damaged ones was given a special honor. It was carefully dismantled and rebuilt in its original state at the Rheinisches Freilichtmuseum Kommern. We are a little surprised when we see the street sign "Burggasse". But the road does not lead to a defiant medieval fortified building, as one might expect. What is meant is a farmstead whose origins date back to around 1600. After two fires, something completely unusual happened in the village around 1700. The wealthy landlord had bricklayers from the Aachen region construct a new two-storey building, largely in solid Venwegen quarrystone. As there were otherwise only half-timbered houses in Rohren, soon people were only talking about the "castle". On Retzstraße, we come across an impressive natural monument, an elm tree that is over 400 years old. This deciduous tree is rarely found in the Monschau region. The memorial under the wide crown of the tree commemorates those who died in the two world wars. Our next destination is the summer and winter sports center in Rödchenstraße, which also includes a log cabin. You can't miss the way there thanks to the signs. The big attraction of the leisure area is the 751-metre-long descent on the summer bobsleigh run. Numerous play equipment ensures that young visitors never get bored. In winter, the slope is firmly in the hands of skiers, who will find everything a winter sports enthusiast's heart desires here. But there is another reason to take a break. From here, there is a magnificent view of the mountain range on the edge of the High Fens. It stretches from Kalterherberg to Mützenich. As we make our way along Rödchenstraße, we stop again and again to enjoy the distant view. At the junction with the road "Am Kirchrott", the Marienkapelle chapel, rebuilt in 1999 at the suggestion of the Rohrener Heimatverein, stands to the right of the path. Opposite it is an unusually large hedge. The first house in Rohren is said to have stood here. Now we want to visit another special sight. We first walk towards the center of the village and then turn right into Borngasse. At the end of the residential area, a romantic meadow landscape awaits us. Near the edge of the forest, we come to a place with several benches and an enclosed park. We can hear the splashing of a fountain from afar. Once there, we stand in front of the large Lourdes Grotto, built in 1903 on the initiative of the Rohren priest, Father Hesseler. It is an expression of the people's deep piety and trust in God. After the site had been prepared, carters from Rohren and Widdau brought 150 wagonloads of quarry stones and sand with their carts. With the help of cement and cinder blocks from the Aachen-Rothe Erde smelting works, an artificial cave with niches, pillars and stalactites was created within a very short time. Even today, the grotto is a destination for pilgrims who implore the Mother of God for help in times of need. The way back leads through Borngasse to the church. Before we leave, we take a look at the hiking map at the parking lot. One thing is certain: there is still plenty to discover in the area around Rohren.