"Beautiful Monschau in the Eifel-hills " a Monschau Travel Page by Pavlik_NL

To say that Monschau is nice would be a terrible understatement. Monschau is truely beautiful and has a charm that knows to enchant the visitor in an almost suiting way. Walking through the old streets and gazing at the "Fachwerk" houses (the woodworks criss-cross through the plastered walls), it makes you feel like being placed in a late medieval century. Monschau is the best there is in the Eifel-hills and should - on a tour through this environment - not be forgotten.

Already in 1198 the name Monschau is recorded in written language. Around this time the castle, including the lookout-tower across the valley, should have been built and attracted more and more villagers to Monschau until it got recognised as a town. It’s not clear if the castle was built first as a house for a nobel person (Walram of Limburg)or if it started out as a monastry. The town also has belonged to the Spanish-Habsburgian empire under Charles the Fifth who conquered this area in 1543 and kept it 1609. Like many other towns in this area it saw also many other conquerors, like the French in 1795. Monschau became famous for it’s textile-industry in the 16th century. In the wide surroundings the demand was high for Monschauer linnen. Most buildings here have belonged to rich textile-traders or producers. The “Red House” is the most exquisite example of the wealth that this manufacturing brought and in here you can also find a museum about this timeframe in Monschau.

The district of the little town Monschau holds now-a-days several other villages inside it’s municipality. Höfen, Imgenbroich, Kalterherberg, Konzen, Mützenich and Rohren are since 1972 part of it’s jurisdiction. Monschau itself lays on the little river Rur (not to be confused with the Ruhr in the Ruhr-area) at a hight of 350 meters until 650 meters over sea level. The main drive of present Monschau is tourism and it doesn’t wonder anyone that such little town that has 396 officially declared monumental buildings of which 270 are direct in it’s centre. Monschau is an open air museum and a pleasure to walk through. Around every corner there is yet another idyllic place.