Monschau

Monschau lies in a narrow gorge of the Rur where the valley barely allows a street, so the timber-framed houses crowd the river and climb the slate slopes on both sides. The town grew wealthy on fine woollen cloth in the eighteenth century, and the Rotes Haus of 1765, built by the Scheibler family of clothiers, survives with its original furnishings and a free-standing oak spiral staircase rising through three floors; it is open as a museum. A ruined castle stands above, and a glassworks and a mustard mill operate in the town. The Eifel national park and the High Fens bog lie just beyond.

History

Monschau is first mentioned in 1198, and its castle on the heights dates back to the 13th century; from 1433 it was a seat of the dukes of Jülich, Emperor Charles V besieged and took it in 1543 and plundered the town, and in 1609 it passed to Palatinate-Neuburg. The French took the area in 1795 and made the town, as Montjoie, a canton capital, it became a Prussian district capital after 1815, and in 1918 its name was changed to Monschau; in 1972 the surrounding villages were joined to it, and in 1962 the area saw one of the last smallpox outbreaks in Germany, brought in by an engineer back from India (Wikipedia, Monschau).

Highlights

• The gorge setting - timber houses packed into a narrow river valley.
• The Rotes Haus - a 1765 clothier's house with original furnishings.
• The oak spiral stair - a free-standing staircase through three floors.
• The mustard mill - a working mill producing mustard in the town.

When to go

April to October, or December for the Christmas market, which is heavily visited and requires timed tickets on peak days. Summer weekends are crowded.

Things to know

The town is very small and packed with day visitors. Christmas market days use timed entry. Parking is outside with a walk in.

Nearby

The High Fens lie west; Aachen is north.

Key facts