GR 56 - Schönberg / Burg-Reuland

Schönberg-Burg-Reuland - GR56 - 2023

SCHÖNBERG

Schönberg is one of the oldest villages in the middle Our valley.

The path leads into the first street on the right onto the N695 towards Bleialf (do not turn into the street to Amelscheid) and immediately after turns right onto the village hill, which, as the name suggests, is a steep ascent. At the junction after the cemetery, turn slightly left and after less than 200 meters, turn right onto a grass path.

The path goes through a woodland to a stream, which you cross on a footbridge on your left. Then the path climbs again, crosses a meadow between fences, and shortly before a crossroads with a monument, the path is asphalted and leads to a road.

1.7 km AMELSCHEID

The path leads left through the village. After house no. 23, it leaves the main road and turns right onto an asphalted path with a gentle incline. At the top, at the fork, the hiker takes the right path and reaches a crossroads. Here the path leaves the asphalt and continues straight on a gravel path leading to the Klein Bolscheid forest. It goes straight over a junction with an antenna and continues on the main path.

5 km ALFERSTEG

The GR hiking trail turns right at the crossroads, crosses a bridge over the Our. Note the funny little bear statue. Then the path leads right towards Schlierbach on the Kahlenberg. After about 100 meters, turn left onto the street which climbs between meadows and then at the edge of a coniferous forest. Do not take the path turning right. The steep ascent becomes easier and the asphalt is replaced by a gravel path. Pass two other paths on the right and enter the forest. At the following crossroads, go straight ahead and reach a junction with 5 options. Turn left and follow the path which first goes through the forest and then leads downhill between meadows. The descent ends on asphalt and leads to a road in the hamlet of Weppeler.

2.4 km WEPPELER

Follow this road 350 m to the right towards the village until you see a chapel on the right. Turn left into the dead end. Follow the asphalt path for 450 m. The road to the Our, the river marking the border between Belgium and Germany. Cross the river on a wooden footbridge to enter Germany. Follow the asphalt, past a lonely house on the left, then right past an old stone cross from 1891. At the next crossroads, turn right, cross a stream, and then walk up the road to meet a larger road in the village of Urb. Leave Mühlenweg and turn left up Winterscheider Straße towards Bleialf and Winterscheid passing a chapel dating back to 1672.

60 meters after a bus stop at house no. 5, turn right onto an asphalted path closed to traffic and continue your hike between meadows. Pass a path turning left uphill. At a bench, ignore a path turning right downhill. At a fork, leave the asphalt and continue on the right gravel path between meadows. At another fork, take the right path which now leads alternately downhill through deciduous and coniferous trees. In a wide right curve, ignore a path leading left uphill. Continue downhill and about 100 m after a bench, a road joins the village of Ihren.

4.5 km IHREN

Go straight over the bridge over the Ihrenbach, a tributary of the Our, towards Winterspelt. Shortly after the bridge, just after the covered bus stop, turn right uphill towards Am Tälchen and after passing a stone cross, turn right again onto a gravel path closed to all traffic. Follow this path for 600 m between the forest edge and stream.

At a junction with a path leading left uphill, go straight ahead on a now grass-covered path for 800 m until reaching a road (Urb - Steinebrück). Follow it right, cross the bridge over the Ihrenbach and immediately after turn left onto the Ravel (Vennbahn). After a few dozen meters, shortly after a picnic table, cross a bridge over the Our and arrive at a road leading back to Belgium. Follow the road a few meters to the right (towards Schönberg), cross it and leave the asphalt to climb on a gravel path through the forest. After some dozen meters, reach a fork. Follow the left grass path running almost parallel to a road. At the crossroads, go straight ahead through coniferous forest and pass a remote house. Here, a path leads down from the right and after about 100 meters you reach the road. Follow the road towards the motorway bridge and after 60 m reach the N646 (Sankt Vith - Prüm).

2.8 km STEINEBRÜCK

Turn left, cross the Ravel Vennbahn, pass the former border post and then cross the bridge over the Our. Just before the sign announcing Germany, turn right to follow a gravel path along the riverbank. Pass under the impressive motorway viaduct. Under it, at the Y junction, stay as close as possible to the Our by following the right path and follow this gravel path which goes up and down while moving away from or coming closer to the Our several times over 2.1 km and ends at a crossroads with a road. Descend right to enter the village of Hemmeres.

Arriving in Steinebrück, turn left and cross the Vennbahn (Ravel). Pass the former border post and cross the bridge over the Our. Just before the sign announcing Germany, turn right and follow a gravel path on the riverbank. Go under the impressive motorway bridge towards a fork. Stay as close as possible to the Our by following the right path. Follow the gravel path which goes 2.1 km uphill and downhill, moving several times away from and close to the Our. Finally, the path meets a junction with the road. Go down to the right to enter the village of Hemmeres.

2.7 km HEMMERES (Germany)

Shortly before a bus stop, turn left onto the Ravel Vennbahn towards Auel and Burg-Reuland. This is an asphalted path leading to a wide gravel path over the former railway line. Shortly after a bench, leave the gravel path and turn right to cross the Our on a footbridge. After some meters on the Vennbahn, go right down a gravel path. At the junction at the bottom, turn right again, go under the bridge and follow the gravel path which moves away from the river between meadows and the slope along the former railway line. Walk over the Ravel coming from the right, cross the Our again and then go up an asphalted path to arrive at Auel at the site of the former station yard. At the fork, do not continue on the Ravel but go left up the road. After less than 200 m, at the junction, go left up to a fork at the height of a chapel.

2 km AUEL

At the fork, hike right along the "Rodenborner Weg". During the ascent, ignore the paths "Im Obersten Garten" and "Ginsterhang" on the right. After a long and steep 850 m climb on the road leaving the village, reach a fork. Go left uphill and pass a shelter with a viewing terrace. There you can enjoy the impressive view. Directly after the shelter, continue straight uphill. Where some houses stand, ignore an asphalted path turning left. At the summit, at the height of an antenna, turn right onto a gravel path which descends steeply between fields and meadows. After about 100 meters, the gravel path is replaced by asphalt. Then comes a gravel path again. This leads to a road. Follow this asphalted path to walk down the small road to Steffeshausen, passing the hollow way on the right.

At the end of the path "Im Kreuzweg" (memorial chapel for the victims of the two wars), at the crossroads, descend right. At the end of the descent on Eichenbuschstraße, follow the road left to leave Steffeshausen and cross the bridge over the Our. 130 m further, at the foot of an old quarry, you reach a depot of the public transport company TEC. 

 3.9 km FORMER BURG-REULAND STATION 

Walk straight behind the safety rails onto the Vennbahn (Ravel). Cross the Ulf and reach the N693. Then cross it. First go left and then immediately right on an asphalted path that turns into grass after the last houses.

At the top of the steep ascent, turn right into the main street and after 100 m, turn right again. There is a picnic table there. The path leads onto a small street with several stations of the cross. Follow the path to the lower part of Burg-Reuland.

1.7 km BURG-REULAND (junction with GR5)

The castle ruins of Reuland are among the most beautiful and largest in the Ardennes. However, they represent only part of the former castle. The outer defensive wall, which surrounded the entire castle and extended into the Ulf valley, has disappeared.

From the keep, there is a beautiful view of the slate-covered roofs and the onion dome tower of the church.

The St. Stephen's Church was first mentioned in 1213. It contains a remarkable sarcophagus made of black slate by Balthazar de Pallant, one of the castle's lords, and his lady Elisabeth (17th century). The church is a protected monument.

End of stage: Burg-Reuland