The best family-friendly hikes and walks in Sint-Jansberg

On a radiant autumn day in 1954, the then-small residents of De Bisselt lined up on the Bisseltsebaan. A colorful procession approached from Bethanië, today known as Jachtslot de Mookerheide, with the Maastricht statue of Mary Star of the Sea at its center. It was carried by several young people from De Bisselt, accompanied by the then-Bishop Lemmens of Roermond. The bishop visited the parishes of his diocese with this statue. But De Bisselt had no chapel or church, even though residents desired one. The bishop heard about it and decided to visit De Bisselt in 1954. The Maastricht statue was then placed in a makeshift chapel of pine branches and autumn leaves, accompanied by prayer and song, including the song "O Star of the Sea." Local residents had previously placed a cross and flowers at the temporary resting place of a German soldier who had died in this neighborhood at the end of World War II. The chapel, which took shape after Bishop Lemmens's visit, has been maintained by local residents for years, but remains temporary. Construction finally began in late 2013 on a small, new, contemporary forest chapel that is recognizable and will stand the test of time. Source and more information: www.boskapeldebiesselt.nl

You have a beautiful view here

In the middle of the forest two beautiful ponds between the trees

Beautiful heathland here, and a good view of the surroundings. You can see far in clear weather.

A beautiful and diverse area with significant elevation changes. A wonderful area for walking and cycling.

Huize Sint-Jansberg, also known as 'the castle', which became the core of a beautiful estate in the second half of the nineteenth century but was completely destroyed in 1944, also had a coach house, gardener's house, various other outbuildings, tenant farms and gardens, such as an upper garden with fruit trees and a walled lower garden that had three levels. Part of the wall is still visible, as are the greenhouses and a piece of the garden's steps. You can enter and there is also a bench.

As mentioned elsewhere, this forest once belonged to the domain of Huize Sint-Jansberg, which was completely destroyed in 1944. Here and there you will find various remains of the estate and landscape elements, sometimes even fragments. This former ice cellar also belongs to it. You can't really get to it (in theory), but you can see the entrance and an information board, also about its current use in the context of bat hibernation. In itself perhaps not so special, but if you combine all the elements with the history of Huize Sint-Jansberg and its remains, you get, in addition to an image of the beautiful forest as it is, also an image of what it was like here.

Then you come from Milsbeek into that beautiful forest (or from somewhere else) and you see those beautiful ponds. Believe me: no photo can do justice to how fairytale-like beautiful this area is. But make no mistake: a lot of what you see here dates from a not so long ago time when this forest was still the domain of a manor house. Apart from a few pieces and remains (such as an ice cellar), Huize Sint-Jansberg, which was decorated with ornaments that came from a Roman villa (which you can read more about) was completely destroyed in 1944. Incidentally, Sint-Jansberg was part of Germany until 1817. And those ponds? The three ponds used to have different functions. What exactly can be read on an information board near the ice cellar and the giant sequoia. One of them already served as a swimming pond. And there are plans to accentuate the cultural-historical elements of all three. But above all, enjoy them very much because they are beautiful, just like the slopes of the forest in which they are located. Really wonderful.