Im Schatten der Allerseelenschlacht im Hürtgenwald
Simmerath
The Hürtgen Forest is not a place you simply hike through. Amid the moss, fog, and old bunkers lies a piece of world history that still resonates today. It was here, in the winter of 1944–45, that the so-called Battle of All Souls raged—a bitter struggle in the cold that Ernest Hemingway witnessed as a war correspondent. He wrote: “A place where it was extremely difficult to stay alive, even if you did nothing more than simply be there.” American General James Gavin later called it “the bloodiest, most unproductive, and worst-managed battle our army has ever fought.”Our hike takes you in the footsteps of that era: from the former Reich Labor Service and military training camp—where young men learned drill and discipline—to overgrown trenches and concrete remnants of the Westwall. The five bunkers that stand silently in the forest today tell of meaning and meaninglessness, of fear and survival. And stories of people who lost everything—and yet returned. But the Hürtgen Forest is more than a memorial. It is nature that heals. Amid ferns and spruce trees, new life is growing—and perhaps a little peace as well. Come along and feel how history and nature intertwine here—moving and unforgettable.