Simmerath

Kesternich is a small village just inside the German border from Belgium. It was the site of two major battles during World War II. These battles are tied to the Siegfried Line Campaign, the Battle of the Huertgen Forest, the Battle of the Bulge, and the assault on the Roer River dams at the outset of Operation Lumberjack.

Holzbach is a river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Belgenbach.

Belgenbach is a river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It flows into the Rur near Monschau.

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.

Monschau Castle (German: Burg Monschau) is a castle in the eponymous town of Monschau in the southern part of the Region of Aachen in Germany. It is used today as a youth hostel and in summer as a venue for concerts and operas.

The Obersee near Simmerath in the borough of Aachen is the main forebay of the Rur Reservoir on the River Rur in the Eifel mountains of Germany. Its barrier is the Paulushofdamm. The reservoir, like that of the Rur Dam, belongs to the Eifel-Rur Water Company (Wasserverband Eifel-Rur). The reservoir provides drinking water.

Perlenbach is a river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and eastern Belgium. Its source is in the Belgian High Fens, north of Büllingen. It is dammed up to create a lake, before flowing from the right into the Rur near Monschau.

The Perlenbach-Fuhrtsbachtal nature reserve is a 331 hectare reserve in the Aachen region, in the south west corner of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is characterised by fen vegetation and wet grassland zones with sedge and reed beds. It is situated at a height of 465 – 615 metres above sea level at Monschau, west of Kalterherberg and south of Höfen (two districts of Monschau) and thus forms part of the Monschauer-Hellentaler forest plateau. The area includes two river valleys, the Perlenbach and Fuhrtsbach. The reserve is noted for the daffodils that bloom there in the spring from late March to mid-May, a major tourist attraction. It is estimated that ten million native plants of Narcissus pseudonarcissus grow there.

The Steling is a mountain, 658.3 m above sea level (NN) on the High Fens plateau. The German-Belgian border runs 60 meters from the mountaintop. The closest borderpoint near the summit is also the highest point in the municipal region of Aachen.

Mützenich is a village and former municipality in the district of Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is part of the municipality of Monschau since 1972. Notably, Mützenich is a German exclave surrounded by Belgian territory due to the track bed of the former Vennbahn railway line being part of Belgium following the implementation of the Treaty of Versailles, among other small areas.

The Rur Dam (German: Rurtalsperre Schwammenauel) is a 77.2 metre high dam located in the southwestern part of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It was built in 1939 and impounds the River Rur to form the Rur Reservoir (Rurstausee or Rursee) which is 7.83 km2 in area. It lies within the districts of Aachen and Düren.

The 1944 Hürtgen Forest Museum (German: Museum Hürtgenwald 1944 und im Frieden) is located in Vossenack, in the municipality of Hürtgenwald, in the county of Düren, in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The 1944 Hürtgen Forest Peace Museum (Friedensmuseum Hürtgenwald 1944) was opened on 29 March 1983 in Kleinhau in a stone barn. Its aim was to recall the heavy fighting during the Second World War in the Battle of Hürtgen Forest. In setting up the museum, Konrad Schall from Winden gathered many exhibits: vehicles, documents, uniforms, and other artefacts that witness to the battles in the surrounding area. Later, part of the exhibition was taken over by the municipality from Schall's legacy. It in turn transferred the exhibit to the Hürtgen Forest History Society (Geschichtsverein Hürtgenwald). On 15 September 2001, the current 1944 Hürtgen Forest Museum (Museum Hürtgenwald 1944 und im Frieden) was opened. The peace museum is divided into the following themed rooms: Hürtgen Forest Local History The Siegfried Line in the area of the Hürtgen Forest Card room The Wehrmacht in the Hürtgen Forest The US Army in the Hürtgen Forest The Hürtgen Forest in the postwar period