Wahlerscheid

Early in the morning of December 16, the Americans had reached their provisional target. Finally they were at the Forsthaus Wahlerscheid on German soil.
However, that same day, the Ardennes Offensive of the German army started.
After just a day, the American troops had to relinquish the hard-fought terrain and gave it the name “Heartbreak Crossroad”. On February 1, 1945 they regain the lost territory and during this battle the pine forests and Forsthaus Wahlerscheid were destroyed, the parking lot is now located here. This spot is now also the frontier between Belgium and Germany.

The valley Perlenbachtal has been used sine the 12th century for haymaking. In early spring they were fertilized with a special irrigation system. This is how these meadows have been created over the centuries, which change into a sea of ​​flowers in spring. The meadows are only mowed in July, which is good for the daffodils, because they bloom from March to May.
In the 1950s, however, haymaking was no longer profitable for farmers in the Eifel, many valley meadows were forested with spruce and this process deprived the small daffodils of their light.

Thanks to an initiative of the NRW foundation Perlenbachtal was finally placed under nature protection in 1976 to protect the meadows with their beautiful floral splendor. Farmers today use the area extensively – no fertilization is allowed and it is mowed only once late in the year and the spruce trees were removed: space was once again made for the wild daffodils.

Many meadows are now covered with daffodils in the spring. This is a natural spectacle that can only be found in the Eifel.