West - vastness - borders

A cycle tour to the west means enjoying vast landscapes and encountering all kinds of borders. Along the way, old farmland awaits us with villages and venerable farms as well as modern urban architectural highlights. Challenging mountain stages are rewarded with far-reaching views and a floating ride down into the valley.

After the impressive Super-C university building, the shape of which you have to mentally continue underground to form a C letter, the Westpark welcomes us with its wild history: the landscaped park, which was laid out in 1885, had a zoo and a glass palace for 3,000 spectators as well as a cycling track. The elephant house was located on the site of today's pond. Further west, the highest point in the Netherlands is waiting to be climbed. The Aachen-Tongeren freight line simply takes the direct route and has been boring its way through the ridge for 870 meters via the "Botzelaer Tunnel" since 1872. The Beeck tower near the Landgraben, Aachen's green city wall, watches over the ascent from a panoramic position. Since the Middle Ages, an earth rampart with a dense beech hedge has surrounded the city for over 70 kilometers and secured the rural areas. The rampart and mature beech hedges can be seen in the forest along the route across the Dreiländerpunkt.

At the top of the tangle of borders and signposts, tourist attractions beckon. First and foremost, the three-country border stone, where a fourth state, Neutral Moresnet, was bordered from 1816-1920. A little further on, the highest point in the Netherlands (322.3 m) is also adorned with border stones and the two observation towers, Baudouin (B) and Wilhelmina (NL), named after their respective monarchs, compete for the best three-country views.

After a relaxed descent through Limburg's Mergelland idyll with half-timbered farms, past Kasteel Vaalsbroek, the Senserbach takes over the border function of the Landgraben. The marl hills continue unperturbed on the German side. At the top of the gently undulating plateau with its fantastic views, it quickly becomes clear that the chalk marl has produced fertile soils. To this day, imposing farms in Orsbach, Horbach, Vetschau, Uersfeld and Laurensberg bear witness to the importance of the area for the relevant lords in Aachen and Jülich. Many of the buildings date back to the 16th/17th century, but some have even older roots. The Niersteiner Höfe and Seffent Castle, for example, already provided food supplies for Emperor Karl.

In Orsbach at the far western tip, Orsbach Castle stands guard on the green city border. After crossing the border again, the chalk hills remain faithful to us. On the other side of the highway, the German-Dutch Avantis industrial estate is a much-discussed border project. While the border connection with the chalk marl was previously white, as can be seen from many building blocks and names such as Schneeberg, the local coal deposits form the black counterpart of the similarities. The Wilsberg slag heap, now overgrown with greenery, can be seen as a relic of German-Dutch coal history on the other side of the railroad in Kohlscheid. The Landgraafer slag heap, now a ski slope, stretches up towards the neighboring town. The dead-straight Aachen-Maastrichter-Chaussee was also once used to transport coal and welcomed passers-by in Laurensberg at the customs house from 1775/80, where customs duties were due.

On the way back to the city center, the hospital with its high-tech architecture from the 1980s and the latest building complexes Campus Melaten and Königshügel add modern touches such as the ITC cubes to the rural quarter.

Highlights along the route:

• Dreiländerpunkt
• Baldouin Tower (B), Wilhelmina Tower (NL)
• Highest point in the Netherlands (352.5m)
• Seffent, Vetschau historic town centers
• Wilsberg slag heap
• Historic old town of Aachen