34 - Unterwegs in Konzen

Hike from Vossenack through the Kalltal valley to Schmidt-Kommerscheidt. Follow the number 66.

The road takes its name from the post-war period, when coffee smuggling from Belgium was one of the most important sources of income for the people of Schmidt. Schmidt was over 90% destroyed at the end of the Second World War, including the parish church of St. Hubertus. With the profits from smuggling coffee across the nearby border, the people of Schmidt got their families through and rebuilt their destroyed houses. Of course, this did not go unnoticed by the parish priest at the time, Josef Beyer. The reconstruction of the church initially progressed somewhat less quickly. He said in a sermon: "I know that you are getting a headache from all the money. For me it's the other way around, because I don't know where I'm going to get the money to rebuild the church." From now on, the smugglers sacrificed part of their profits from the coffee business to rebuild the church. church. This is why it is popularly known as St. Mokka.

Circular trail - 5.8 km - from the "Am Eifeldom" hiking parking lot

The idyllic nature reserves between Simmerath and Paustenbach invite you to discover them. The circular route begins at the church of St. Johann Baptist. After leaving the village, you come across the remains of the Westwall. The trail leads through nature reserves to the Paustenbacher Höhe with the Eifelkreuz. You return to Simmerath along the Kall and again over the Siegfried Line.

This tour is varied and only moderately challenging with a steep single trail north of Vossenack. It leads over gentle undulations and steeper climbs from the plateau of the Hürtgen Forest into the adjacent valleys. You can start the low-traffic circuit from one of the parking lots, e.g. in Vossenack (church) or Hürtgen (cemetery or sports field) or Germeter (parking lot at the edge of the forest, Zweifaller Weg).