panorama route

The hike starts at St. Matthias Church in Strauch. Built in 1850 by the villagers as a small chapel, the church quickly became too small due to the growing population in Strauch, so that the foundation stone for today's significantly larger building was already laid in 1922.

We first leave Strauch heading towards the Michelshof wind farm, which today covers a large share of the municipality of Simmerath's renewable energy needs. After crossing Michelsbach and Hesselbach, two lively streams typical for the Eifel, the path runs along the forest edge for several kilometers until the Rursee comes into view, offering a beautiful view of the Woffelsbach Bay. On the other side of the Rursee shore, the ridge "Kermeter" can be seen. It lies 527.8 meters above sea level and forms the "ecological heart" of the Eifel National Park, the only national park in NRW. On the ridge between Rursee and Urftsee, native mixed beech forests grow over a large area, forming one of the largest contiguous deciduous forest areas of the Rhineland, covering about 33 km².

Further on, we reach the Kierberg Eifel viewpoint at 455 meters above sea level after a few kilometers. From here, the view extends far across the Rursee towards the east into the Eifel National Park. Along the forest edge, the path finally returns to Strauch, the starting point of our hike.

Highlights along the route:

St. Matthias Church

Michelshof Wind Farm

Rursee Panorama