Paths, hedges, dragon's teeth

The path initially leads from the village center past the catholic parish church into the quiet residential area with charming half-timbered houses, stone-framed house wells, and impressive hedges. At the edge of the village, it enters the typical hedge landscape.

After crossing the source area of a stream, the hiking trail turns left onto a romantic path. Hedge-enclosed hillside pastures, a rapidly deepening valley, cozy forest edges, and varied forest sections characterize its character. At the easternmost point of our hike, it is worth taking a short break. From the nearby "Eifel View" right next to the shelter, there is a magnificent view of the Rur valley, the villages of Widdau and Rohren, and the vast forested area of the Eifel National Park on the horizon. A moderately difficult ascent leads you once again to the forest edge. Below district road 21, between two mighty deciduous trees, stands a wayside cross. It commemorates three women and a man who were killed here by exploding shells during the intense battles of World War II.

After crossing a small stream, a romantic path leads down to the hillside trail with its spruce and mixed deciduous forest above the Rur, whose rushing sound will accompany you for the next 1.4 kilometers. A clearing overgrown with broom offers the occasional opportunity to look into the valley and at the Höfener pastures opposite. It is a special experience when in spring the broom transforms the entire clearing into a golden-yellow sea of blossoms.

After leaving the forest, the path winds between mighty beeches and dense hedges through the ancient cultural landscape of Menzerath. Shortly before the road, a rubble stone wall rises on the right. Behind it hides an old cemetery with magnificent grave slabs that you should not miss. Between 1678 and 1862, alongside clergy of the evangelical parish, numerous members of the Monschau and Imgenbroich cloth-making families were buried there. Crossing the Eschbach valley and passing the Hargard youth hostel, you reach the outskirts of Imgenbroich after crossing the federal road via a hedge path. But before returning to the starting point, you should definitely take a 1.4-kilometer short loop to look at some special sights west of the village. Where today, framed by trees, a blown-up and earth-covered bunker lies, was the Walchenau cemetery, which served as the first burial ground for Lutherans and Reformed of the Monschau region between 1600 and 1794.

Soon after, you encounter the tank barrier Höckerlinie of the total 630-kilometer-long "Westwall," built in 1938, to which the bunker also belonged. The hiking trail runs about 500 meters along the edge of the foundation. Over time, small biotopes have formed within the concrete-surrounded areas. There are only a few places around Imgenbroich that offer such a magnificent view to the west. Almost the entire Venn edge of the Monschau region can be admired, from the Pannensterzkopf (660 m) near Kalterherberg to the left, over the Steling (659 m) above Mützenich to the western foothills of the Hoscheit (599 m) near Lammersdorf.