The Heath in the Eifel

The heathlands of the Vordereifel offer a fascinating landscape with evergreen juniper trees and purple-blooming heather. Juniper trees are unique plants: sturdy yet slender like cypresses, and a aromatic ingredient in fine delicacies. And they grow where there are wide clearings. This expansive heathland was created by a special form of land management practiced until the late 1950s, known as “Schiffelwirtschaft.”

Especially in August and September—that’s when the small purple flowers of the heather create a beautiful play of colors alongside the green juniper.

With a little luck, you might spot rare butterflies; other shy inhabitants stay hidden… but they’re there, rustling, scurrying, and buzzing along the wayside. On warm summer days, a carefree, Mediterranean feeling inevitably sets in; and on refreshing autumn days, a sense of all the legends and mysteries that call this area home.

In the “Drover Heide” nature reserve near Kreuzau in the northern Eifel, you’ll find open heathlands, green meadows, as well as wild wooded areas and idyllic small bodies of water where primeval crayfish and crested newts thrive. The Drover Heide is also an important bird sanctuary, providing habitat for various bird species.