The village of Vlatten is located in the very south of the district of Düren, where the last range of hills in the Eifel descends into the Rhenish lowlands. The picturesque village at the foot of the Lützenberg is still dominated by agriculture today, with its large district extending into the densely wooded Kermeter. In Roman times, there were several agricultural estates here north of the Via Agrippa, the important road from Cologne to north-east Gaul. As the forest on the Kermeter grew up in the early Middle Ages, a settlement developed on its edge, which was later to become the starting point for royal hunts for the Carolingians. The royal palace of Vlatten is first attested in 839 by a stay of Louis the Pious and served as a residence and administrative center for the traveling kings. Archaeologists assume that the parish church of St. Dionysius was the former palace church. The von Vlatten dynasty is documented by sources from the 12th century onwards, and the castle was a knight's seat in the jurisdiction of the Duchy of Jülich-Berg from 1358. The Benedictine Abbey of Siegburg also owned property in Vlatten, which was also used for mining. In Napoleonic times, Vlatten belonged to the canton (later district office) of Gemünd. Today, the village belongs to the town of Heimbach.

The Vlatten tour takes the village's "parlor" - the youth hall - as its starting point. It was built during the First World War and served as a military hospital during the Second. Its large hall is still a popular meeting place in village life today. The walk continues to the south-western edge of the village, more precisely to Mühlengasse. This picturesque street got its name from a watermill that was located here until the 19th century. The mill crushed the copper ore extracted from two nearby mines. From the hollow of the Vlatten stream, the path now climbs to the top of the Lützenberg. Three times a day, the bells of St. Michael's Chapel ring down into the village. The chapel, which was built in 1912, contains interesting stained glass windows and late medieval paintings. The next stop provides a modern contrast: the brightly colored mosaic of the Virgin Mary. The image of the Virgin Mary was created in 1970 by Margarita Rieth from 15 hundredweights of stone. A few steps further on, Vlatten Castle resides almost enchanted. The striking, historicizing castle tower from the 19th century is just one of the many structural changes and additions that the former moated castle has undergone since the 14th century. The Basilica of St. Dionysius is also located on the Vlatten stream. With its mighty west tower, it has been the town's landmark for many centuries. The last stop draws your attention to the wayside crosses that are so typical of the Rhineland. With a little time, you can discover ten more in the Vlatten district.