Schwarzbachsee and the Kreuz im Venn

The 'Hohe Venn' and the area around Monschau are often treated separately in Hiking guides. The ‘Kreuz im Venn’ is usually visited in connection with the Cloister of Reichenstein, which in turn is visited on trails starting in Monschau. Here, we connect a pleasant Venn experience with the Cross in the Venn.

The hike starts in Küchelscheid (in Belgium,across the border vom Kalterherberg) and follows well maintained forest trails to the Schwarzsee (Black Lake). If you thought that all waters are the same, think again. The lake is fed by streams coming from the moorlands, and the water is as black as you may not have seen before. (See: Schwarzbachsee)


Continue with views across the typical moorland of the Hohe Venn, and eventually turn to the 'Kreuz im Venn', with its grotto and a statue of the Virgin Mary. The place has religious significance and people from Kalterherberg still congregate at high holidays for a Holy Mass.