Aachen forest

Aachen forest

Apart from a few parts the Aachen forest is all in municipal ownership. At its widest point, the forest is about 8.2 kilometres wide and its greatest north-south extent is about 2,5 kilometres. It lies at an average height of 220 metres above sea level. The Brandenberg is its highest peak at 355,4 meters. Its southern and south-western part runs seamlessly into the Belgian state forest and its western part in the region of Vaalserberg hills into the Dutch state forest. The ridge runs from west to east, forming a watershed, the streams rising south of this line flow mostly into the Geul/Göhl and then in the river Meuse. Those that rise to the north eventually all flow into the stream Wurm. The streams of the municipal forest, especially the Wurm was of great importance to Aachen’s textile industry.

In the forest can remnants be found of the high voltage fence, which was built at the beginning of the WW I, as a means of preventing Belgians from escaping military service by fleeing to the Netherlands. It was powered by the Aachen side and ran from Vaals, along the German-Dutch border up to the triangle border and from there to the mouth of the river Schelde. Several civilians and soldiers were killed in this section.

Twenty years after the WW I, the Aachen forest was included in the framework of the Aachen-Saar program for the construction of the Westwall. Till today there is still evidence of the remaining of this wall.

From 1945 to 1953 the forest was part of the Aachener Kaffeefront, when the high price of coffee encouraged smuggling between Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Smuggler paths can still be seen and hint at the risks that smugglers took. In total, more than 50 people, including customs officers and smugglers died in these actions in the Aachen forest.