75 - Püngelbach

On the third stage from Gemünd to Heimbach, you hike through the Kermeter. This ridge with its ancient beech forests was the decisive reason for the designation of the national park.

As soon as snow falls in the Eifel, the landscape is transformed into a winter paradise and you can go tobogganing, cross-country skiing or downhill skiing! The small ski areas in the Eifel have many advantages for winter sports fans: short journey times, a family atmosphere, cozy huts and great opportunities for tobogganing and cross-country skiing. There are numerous trails around the Monschau region where cross-country skiers can let off steam, for example in Lammersdorf, Eicherscheid, Kalterherberg, Höfen and Rohren. The 3.2-kilometre-long "Wiesenloipe" trail shown here is located in the south-east of Monschau near Rohren and leads across almost flat meadow terrain

Length: approx. 2.8 kilometers Hiking time: approx. 1.5 hours Difference in altitude: 89 meters

The watercourses and their floodplains are a typical and ecologically valuable part of the Rureifel with a great wealth of flora and fauna. This diversity is thanks to the farmers who have mowed the meadows for centuries. When modern forms of farming close to villages made haymaking in the valleys no longer worthwhile, spruce trees were planted there. Efforts are currently being made in many places to restore the original floodplain vegetation. The characteristic terracing can be seen in many places along the hiking trail. This occurs when a river is no longer able to transport its debris load and deposits it in the floodplain. If a river deepens again due to a change in climate, it cuts through the previously formed terrace. The formerly swampy valleys of the Eifel only acquired their function as traffic routes after the river regulation at the beginning of the 20th century.

The long road to the church service