The tour starts and ends at the Tuchmacherbrunnen (18) on the market square in Monschau. It shows various steps in the production of fine cloth in the 18th century, when fabrics were still laboriously made by hand, when Monschau was an important center of wool fabric production in Europe. From the market square, the trail leads hikers up to the Sonntagsley. Here there is a wonderful view over the slate-roofed houses of Monschau's old town. The trail continues through the Kurpark towards Burgau, where the last textile company operating in Monschau, the Rheinische Wollwerke, closed its doors in 1983. The trail leaves Monschau and leads up to the Engelsley with a magnificent view over the Rur and Perlenbach valleys. Below the "Ley" (= slate rock), roofing slate used to be quarried underground. The trail descends steeply into the Perlenbach valley to the Dreistegen weir with a canal that used to channel water to a turbine in Alexander Scheibler's artificial wool factory in the 19th century. Passing a campsite, the trail leads through the idyllic Perlbachtal valley, which features the characteristic vegetation of the hillside scree forest. Various species of moss and ferns can be spotted here, and occasionally the dipper can be seen making short dives into the stream in search of food. Past the Hotel Perlenau, a former wool laundry and dye wood mill, the trail leads to the Perlbach dam, which has supplied the Monschau region with drinking water since 1953. On a rocky outcrop high above the dam, the "Eifelsteigliege" invites you to take a break. Shortly after this, hikers can shorten the circular route by following the "Eifelsteig" to the left up the mountain to the national park gate in Höfen. Further straight ahead along an old cart track, today the connecting road between Höfen and Kalterherberg, is the Höfen mill, built in 1805. The valleys of Fuhrtsbach and Perlbach are old cultivated land. These valuable biotopes are home to numerous rare animal and plant species. In spring, thousands of wild daffodils transform the valley meadows into a sea of yellow flowers, and in summer the aromatic bear's bane can be found here. Before the trail leaves the Fuhrtsbach valley again, it reaches the southernmost part of the Eifel National Park. Since 2004, the motto here has been "Let nature be nature". Nature is strictly protected over an area of around 11,000 hectares and may only be entered on designated paths. Now it's up to Höfen. In the district of Alzen, hikers are greeted by high hedges. The hedges of the Monschau hedge country, mostly planted with copper beech and cut like green walls, protect the old half-timbered houses from the weather. The Bundesgolddorf Höfen still has many characteristic half-timbered houses. In the Seebend House you can visit the "Beech hedges and daffodil valleys" exhibition of the German-Belgian High Fens-Eifel Nature Park. The Höfen Weaving Museum will also be opening there shortly. Hikers should not miss the Höfen National Park Gate. The old dairy not only houses an exhibition on the Eifel National Park, but also a tourist information center and a bistro. The route continues along Weiherstraße past old farmhouses that tell of the lives of previous generations and have now been lovingly restored. The "Alter Weg" leads back to Monschau, where access to the town of Monschau was controlled in the 17th century at a roadblock called the Grindel. Passing the cemetery where numerous former Monschau cloth industrialists are buried, the cobblestone pavement already announces the Mühlenberg district of the old town. In the heyday of Monschau's woollen cloth production around 1780, many weavers lived here. Not only did they have to accommodate the mighty looms in their houses, they also kept livestock such as goats and pigs in the cellars to provide for their families. After 14 km of varied hiking trails, the Tuchmacherbrunnen fountain welcomes hikers again, who can take advantage of the gastronomic offerings in the old town for a well-earned rest.