Monschau (original) (raw)

Resort town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Monschau
Town
Slate roofs of Monschau town centre and castleSlate roofs of Monschau town centre and castle
Coat of arms of MonschauCoat of arms
Location of Monschau within Aachen district
Monschau is located in GermanyMonschauMonschau Show map of GermanyMonschau is located in North Rhine-WestphaliaMonschauMonschau Show map of North Rhine-Westphalia
Coordinates: 50°33′36″N 06°15′23″E / 50.56000°N 6.25639°E / 50.56000; 6.25639
Country Germany
State North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region Köln
District Aachen
Subdivisions 7
Government
• Mayor (2022–27) Dr. Carmen Krämer[1] (Ind.)
Area
• Total 94.62 km2 (36.53 sq mi)
Elevation 420 m (1,380 ft)
Population (2023-12-31)[2]
• Total 12,350
• Density 130/km2 (340/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST) UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes 52156
Dialling codes 02472
Vehicle registration AC, MON
Website www.monschau.de

Monschau (German pronunciation: [ˈmɔnʃaʊ̯] ⓘ; French: Montjoie, French pronunciation: [mɔ̃ʒwa]; Walloon: Mondjoye) is a small resort town in the Eifel region of western Germany, located in the Aachen district of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The town is located in the hills of the North Eifel, within the Hohes Venn – Eifel Nature Park in the narrow valley of the Rur river. The historic town center has many preserved half-timbered houses and narrow streets have remained nearly unchanged for 300 years, making the town a popular tourist attraction nowadays. Historically, the main industry of the town was cloth-mills.

Timeline of Monschau (Montjoie)
1200 —–1300 —–1400 —–1500 —–1600 —–1700 —–1800 —–1900 —–2000 — ←First written evidence of Monschau←Became the seat of the dukes of Jülich.←Became part of Palatinate-Neuburg.

On the heights above the city is Monschau castle, which dates back to the 13th century — the first mention of Monschau was made in 1198. Beginning in 1433, the castle was used as a seat of the dukes of Jülich. In 1543, Emperor Charles V besieged it as part of the Guelders Wars, captured it and plundered the town. However, the castle stayed with Jülich until 1609, when it became part of Palatinate-Neuburg.

In 1795, the French captured the area and, under the name Montjoie, made it the capital of a canton of the Roer département. After the area became part of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1815, Monschau became the district capital of the Kreis Montjoie.

During World War I, some people argued that Monschau (or "Montjoie" as it was then still called) should be annexed to Belgium since they believed it historically to be a Walloon area that had been Germanized by the Prussians.[3]

In 1918, William II, German Emperor, changed the name to Monschau. In 1972, the town was enlarged with the previously independent municipalities of Höfen, Imgenbroich, Kalterherberg, Konzen, Mützenich and Rohren. Mützenich, to the west of the town center, is an exclave of German territory surrounded by Belgium. It is separated from Germany by the Vennbahn railway line, which was assigned to Belgium by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.

During World War II the town of Monschau, sitting on a vital road network, was a point of great tactical importance in the opening phase of the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944 as the northernmost point of the battlefront.[4]

1962 Smallpox Epidemic

In 1962, Monschau and its surrounding area became the site of one of the last smallpox epidemics in Germany. The disease, which was already considered nearly eradicated in the country at the time, was introduced by an employee of a mechanical engineering company who had been working on assignment in India. The outbreak claimed one life, left four individuals critically ill, and 33 others with moderate cases. Quarantine measures were imposed on approximately 700 people. Medical care for both the infected and non-infected population proved challenging at times, as nearby hospitals, fearing the spread of infection, refused to admit patients from the region. “Every Monschau resident was suspected of carrying smallpox,” noted one account[5]. The novel Monschau (2021) by Steffen Kopetzky is set against the backdrop of this smallpox outbreak[6].

Monschau, view at the Markt

Monschau, which is allowed to call itself health resort Luftkurort since 1996, attracts many visitors with its picturesque views especially in the warm months. Set in the medieval town facility that is traversed by the river Rur, it is dominated by slate paneled and half-timbered houses with cafes, restaurants, craft and souvenir shops. Parking places are placed around the city center.

Part of driving and physical chase scenes in the 2016 film: "Collide" were filmed in and around the centre of Monschau.

Known far beyond the environment is the Monschau Christmas market, which is visited every year by tens of thousands of guests.

Monschau, monumental house: das Rote Haus

Monschau has over 330 listed buildings, so that only a selection can be called.

Supraregional sport

[edit]

At two meetings in the spring meet canoeists for about 50 years in Monschau international events, and a whitewater races. Nationally known is the Monschau Marathon more than 760 meters of altitude, which takes place in August.

Monschau is connected by various regional bus routes of Regionalverkehr Euregio Maas-Rhein inter alia to Simmerath, Aachen and Eupen (Belgium). It is the collective tarif of the Aachener Verkehrsverbund. All lines meet at the central station Imgenbroich Bushof. Since March 2016 runs in Monschau an additional responsive demand transport system of the Aachener Straßenbahn und Energieversorgung under the name NetLiner.

The former important Vennbahn, which was used until 2001 as a Heritage railway, had stations in Monschau, Konzen and Kaltenherberg, now it is closed. It was remodeled 2010 for the establishment of the Vennbahn (bike path). Through the village runs the Bundesstraße 258 from north to south.

Through the town lead the cycle paths:

  1. ^ Bekanntmachung des Ergebnisses der Stichwahl des/der Bürgermeisters/in der Stadt Monschau am 29.05.2022, Stadt Monschau, accessed 14 June 2022.
  2. ^ "Bevölkerung der Gemeinden Nordrhein-Westfalens am 31. Dezember 2023 – Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes auf Basis des Zensus vom 9. Mai 2011" (in German). Landesbetrieb Information und Technik NRW. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
  3. ^ Finot, Jean. New York Times, May 30th, 1915
  4. ^ Cole, Hugh M. (1965). THE ARDENNES: BATTLE OF THE BULGE (LC: 65-60001 ed.). Washington, D.C.: OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF MILITARY HISTORY DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY. p. 86.
  5. ^ Kopetzky, Steffen (2020-03-26). "Epidemie in der Eifel 1962: Die Attacke der gefährlichen Pocken". Der Spiegel (in German). ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 2025-04-16.
  6. ^ "Steffen Kopetzky: Monschau. Roman - Perlentaucher". www.perlentaucher.de (in German). Archived from the original on 2025-01-12. Retrieved 2025-04-16.
  7. ^ [1] Archived 2012-11-25 at the Wayback Machine Kulturprogramm des KUK.
  8. ^ "Erlebnismuseum Lernort Natur". Archived from the original on 2019-09-09. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  9. ^ Wera Groß: Protestantische Kirchenneubauten des 16. bis 18. Jahrhunderts am Niederrhein und im Bergischen Land; Band 2: S. 295–300.
  10. ^ Sandra Wertz (2009). "Das Haus Troistorff in Monschau". Rheinische Industriekultur (in German). Verein Rheinische Industriekultur e.V. Retrieved 2012-12-03.
  11. ^ Ursula Legge-Suwelack und Wolfgang Zahn: Alte Pfarrkirche und ehemaliges Aukloster mit Aukirche in Monschau.

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