Tour 18: 'The Sourbrodt Fens' Sourbrodt – hiking in East Belgium

Another enjoyable tour organized by the East Belgium Tourism Agency (VoG). This time, we also took a short tour through the town with its beautiful buildings and the old train station from Prussian times.

This tour is a nice introduction to the mysterious hiking world of the High Fens. Not one story and language shaped Sourbrodt, but two. Down in the valley the village is quintessentially Belgian. In the Bahnhofsviertel, however, its German origins cannot be overlooked. When you look at the station building, you can vividly imagine the entrance of a steam locomotive puffing along over the Vennbahn. At the end of the path, after a final windbreak made of spruce trees, the biotope of the High Fens spreads out. The route leads directly to the Rur, as black as all the streams in the highlands. A windscreen of conifers grows around the Troupa Fens. This inhospitable, steppe-like area was fatal for Russian prisoners of war: a Russian Orthodox cross commemorates their desperate fight for survival... Text source: East Belgium Tourism Agency

Today we headed back to Belgium in beautiful winter weather. A very varied route through the Venn near Sourbrodt, lots of nature and, as always in the Eifel/Ardennes border region, a bit of history. Afterwards we drove briefly to the "Signal de Botrange", the highest mountain in Belgium at 694m.

https://www.ostbelgien.eu/de/fiche/hiking/genusstour-18-sourbrodt Marking: Green rectangle and "Siebenstern" logo "The history of Sourbrodt is not only varied, but also culturally extremely interesting: Located at the intersection of influences and languages, the town has always been a melting pot. It is a typically Walloon village, but the German influence is also unmistakable. The Vennbahn trains used to stop at the former station. Today, the line is closed and the tracks partially dismantled, but the station building has stood the test of time. It doesn't take much imagination to imagine the sound of a puffing steam locomotive arriving. At the old station, you leave Sourbrodt and the Vennbahn behind and immerse yourself in the mysterious Fens. Soon you'll come across the Rur River, still young here and deep black with peat. Various information boards will tell you more about it. Interesting facts about the region's history and nature. Memorials to the horrific events of the Second World War are also along your route. It wasn't always as peaceful here as it is today. On your way back to Sourbrodt, you'll cross the Kleine Rur, the second source of the Rur. The two rivers join before the German border, where they flow into the famous Rursee. This tour is a beautiful introduction to the mysterious hiking world of the High Fens. If you're looking for even more nature, you should visit the Herba Sana health garden, located about 2 km from Sourbrodt. 🐻****************************************🐻 Directions by car/Start 🚗: Sourbrodt train station, 50°28'23.2"N 6°08'40.4"E

A very easy hike with beautiful scenery and a relaxing atmosphere! It was a bit stormy! The Path of Remembrance commemorates the horrific events of the Second World War!😔

Very nice, varied tour through the High Fens. Suitable for families and dogs

Today we went on another mother/daughter hike. Since we took our time with our breakfast together, we decided on a shorter route and did the pleasure tour no. 18 to the Sourbrodter Venn. With the drawings of Didier Comès on the trail of a conspiratorial silence.  That's what the description says. Not one history and language have shaped Sourbrodt, but two. Down in the valley, the village is thoroughly Belgian. But in the station district, its German origins are unmistakable. When you look at the station building, you can vividly imagine the arrival of a steam locomotive puffing along the Vennbahn. At the end of the path, after a final windbreak made of spruce trees, the biotope of the High Fens spreads out. The route leads directly to the Rur, as black as all the streams in the highlands. A windbreak made of conifers grows around the Troupa Venn. This inhospitable, steppe-like area was the undoing of Russian prisoners of war: a Russian Orthodox cross reminds us of their desperate fight for survival... On the way back, the landscapes have the familiar features that you discover in the albums of the comic artist Didier Comès. The artist was born here and has forever created a monument to this landscape with his skills. A short hike for today was just right. To our own surprise, my daughter had found a place where she found porcini mushrooms. Delicious for dinner😋😋 We then went to the Losheimergraben "old Smuggler" and ended our tour there with a cappuccino and cake. Another very nice day of hiking together.

A beautiful and easy hike through the Venn, dogs are also allowed to walk on a leash here