Rureifeltour: Im Schatten der Allerseelenschlacht im Hürtgenwald

Rureifel tour in Simmerath

The Hürtgen Forest is not a place you simply walk through. Among moss, fog, and old bunkers lies a piece of world history that resonates even today. Here, during the winter of 1944/45, the so-called Allerseelenschlacht took place – a fierce struggle in the cold that Ernest Hemingway experienced as a war correspondent. He wrote: “A region where it was extremely difficult to stay alive, even if you did nothing but be there.” The American General James Gavin later called it “the most costly, unproductive, and poorly conducted battle our army has fought.” Our hike takes you in the footsteps of this time: from the former Reich Labor Service and military training camp – where young men learned drill and discipline – to overgrown trenches and concrete remnants of the Siegfried Line. The five bunkers that now stand silently in the forest tell stories of meaning and meaninglessness, of fear and survival. And stories of people who lost everything – and still returned. But the Hürtgen Forest is more than a memorial. It is nature that heals. Among ferns and spruces, new life grows – and perhaps a piece of peace as well. Come along and feel how history and nature intertwine here – moving and unforgettable.

You can get tickets here