Urlaub im Dreiländereck zwischen Aachen, Maastricht und Lüttich | ARD Reisen

Urlaub im Dreiländereck zwischen Aachen, Maastricht und Lüttich | ARD Reisen

Subtitle: WDR mediagroup GmbH on behalf of WDR * Music * Ui, ui, ui. You have to have strong nerves to look down here. Let’s just look into the distance, right? Our destination today is right in front of us. We are at the three-country point near Aachen. Three countries come together here. Belgium, Netherlands and Germany. This brings me to the first cross-border question. Who invented fries? But of course we are interested in so much more. What connects people in the border region? Where are the most beautiful stories and the most fascinating natural oases? That’s what’s so great about the imperial city of Aachen. Belgium and the Netherlands are very close. We cycle to Maastricht and canoe on the Maas. We discover the city of Liège, a museum of energy and a horse farm for children with very special horses. It will be spectacular on one of the longest stairs in Belgium. And breathtakingly 40 m underground. * Music * One or two tests of courage await us. And a ride in a real cult car. Come with us, take a vacation around Aachen with us. * Music * We start on the Heuvelland Fietsroute. This is a 41 km long cycle path that leads from the Pfalzer Berg near Aachen to Maastricht in the Netherlands. A detour over Valkenburg takes you into the underworld. * Music * Uphill to the Netherlands, who would have thought? * Music * I didn’t expect so many mountains in the Netherlands. Luckily I have a motor with me, you can feel it in your legs. Short stopover. I need to recharge. * Music * The restaurant "Der panting deer" is located in the middle of a forest area at 260 m. * Music * Look here. That’s stupid, everyone eats something here, right? If you could bring me another beer now, that would of course be awesome. The boss would rather take care of the beer herself. Thank you very much. – Here you go. Our own beer. Cheers. -Cheers. Is this Dutch beer? – No, it’s Belgian. This is done for us, just across the border in Belgium. Fifteen minutes from here. When you say, for us, is this your store here? – Yes. I’ve taken it over from my parents for a year now. My parents started here 21 years ago. – Yes. They did this from scratch. You were always here as a child? – I was always here as a child. That was my playground, my play garden. Was always great. I can really imagine it. When you’re here as a child right in the forest… you had every opportunity. – Exactly. Always dirty, but always fun. I could imagine that, looking at how high we are here, you could almost be the highest gastronomy in the Netherlands. We say that too. We are the only Dutch mountain hut. Because there aren’t any more mountain huts here in the Netherlands. We are the only one. And tell me, one more question. You can tell from the orders, ah, that’s an order of German fries . – French fries. Germany always fries. Fries with mayo and nothing else. We have the Dutch bitterballen or snacks from Friture. Germans always do this with cutlery. Is that cutlery? Precisely. – We always eat this by hand. Then we know they are the Germans. Nice to meet you. Let’s toast again. Bottom up. -Cheers. * Music * The Heuvelland, i.e. the hill country, emerged from the foothills of the Eifel and Ardennes. If the world isn’t right here, where is it? *Music* What is this? This is a small winery, right? It’s amazing that wine now works. *Music* (man) You can help a little. – Yes gladly. Where I’m already there. Is this also red wine here? – This is for red wine. But honestly, no one believes that. If you show the mountains here again, you won’t believe that you’re in the Netherlands. Nevertheless, it is like that. And secondly, that red wine works here. I never thought. My father had a dream that he wanted to make red wine. I always asked why, and then he said, I love it. That’s a good answer. – Good argument. That’s why he started here, was the first in the Netherlands to make red wine. We are known there, but we make more white wine than red wine. And of course a lot of sparkling wine. We have 140,000 bottles per year. But red wine, white wine, rosé and sparkling wine, basically everything. Now is the time when the tender shoots are looped in. The winegrowers here treat their vines very carefully and rely on sustainability without pesticides. How could we do this with nature and not against nature? How do we make it so that it is also good for the people nearby? Also good to see and also good to learn. In fact, the province of Limburg is a wine region. *Music* I’m telling you, it fits here. – Yes, does it fit? Or is he… – You did well. The houses here too, cute, right? A bit of an open-air museum atmosphere, I would say. * Music * A few of the Heuvelland communities bear the Cittaslow quality mark. This is an international network of places worth living in that stands for quality of life and sustainability. Motto: Take the time to enjoy the little things in life. And that’s what we do when we take a detour from the route. There is an incredible amount of regional products in this restaurant. *Music* I just had that explained to me. The hall here once belonged to an old farm. Potatoes used to be stored here. If you look around today, a lot more is stored here. From farm to gourmet paradise. If you don’t get enough here, it’s your own fault. Just around the corner: The owner of this shop is said to have learned how to make ice cream in Italy and is keen to experiment. Hi. – Hello. I’ll try it. I want to get it soon. I want to eat it again. – Was that right? Yes, of couse. I would like some ice cream, I tried to say in Dutch. What would you like to have? I’m doing the Heuvelland Fiets Tour. – Yes. I’m traveling by bike and heard that we should take a detour. There is delicious ice cream here. – That’s correct. What is the black squirrel? The black squirrel is colored with charcoal. – With what? I would have said sheep droppings. – Charcoal. – Charcoal? I am a boy from the Ruhr area, from Germany. There’s coal everywhere, I’ll say. I would like to try that. Soft ice cream is always with 50% air, and we only have 30%. I’ll try it right away. – Bon appetit. Really good, really tasty. That’s what you say, there’s less air in it. Yes, less air. – Tastes more like ice cream. And here are the things you can add to it? Then you can do one more, then we can sit outside for a moment. There’s no one there right now. Perfect. – Then we’ll go outside. The region here, is it a special region for you? We have Germans here, Belgians, we are very close to the borders, Dutch. Did you come into contact with the nationalities in a special way ? It’s normal here that we go to Aachen. Or, for example, 10 km to the left we have Belgium. I think that’s very nice because people are always a little different. More open, or what are the people like? I think what I find different is that the Germans have different qualities, and the Belgians have them too. And if I’m looking for something, like beer, I go to Belgium. – I’m sorry, what? What are you coming to Germany for? E.g. my machine comes from Germany. Because I think the Germans are strict. Strict, strict, the quality, that’s it. – Quality always good. Cool, and now here’s a coal squirrel for me for the first time. I will give it a try. Yummy. That’s good. But it’s not much different than a normal croissant. That’s just the color. – But it’s delicious. Thank you. We continue on the cycle route through the Dutch marl country. This is what the region is called because of the calcareous soil. * Music * The Romans already mined marl in the town of Valkenburg. Many houses are made of this yellow stone. The mining of limestone created a huge system of caves beneath the city that stretches for hundreds of kilometers. Visitors can explore the underworld on foot. Or something completely different. Hi. Daniel. – Sophie, hello. Are you my guide? – I am your guide. Has tightened up a bit. Best mining weather. We’re now heading into the weatherless underworld. Let’s get it all straight. * Music * It goes down 40 m. If you hold on to the railing, it’s soaking wet. – True. That’s a humidity of 98%. – 98? – Yes. But I still find it quite romantic. I feel like I’m walking into a pyramid. We can go right here. You definitely have to keep your head down here. – Exactly. Take good care of your heads. Very important. There must be advantages to not having grown so tall. Here are our bikes. We want cave biking on these bikes. The hairnet is for hygiene, everything else is for safety. Because it happens underground, explains Sophie. Then it starts. * Music * It always takes a little getting used to. – Yes / Yes. You don’t go underground every day. – Exactly. And through a 500 year old quarry. Hi, hi. The limestone layer was formed anciently from microscopic marine life. We drive through the middle of a 70 million year old seabed. Limestone used to be sawn here by hand. You have to pay more attention to the ceiling than your feet. – True. Then let’s make a stop. This whole pit started in the 16th century. How long did it take them to get such a square meter out? If you imagine that once a page has been made available, then another page has to be made available. Same process, double sawing processes. Sawed through again here at this knee height. You can’t get to the back, so they had to put something in between here to break it. Hence this term block breaker. The question is, how long did this process take… What do you think? So I would say it felt like a day. Yes indeed. – Yes? Such a small piece for a whole day? Such a block is 60 to 80 cm. So you have to imagine that a block was taken out in a day of about 12 to 2 hours. That took about 6 blocks per course. So a week is also a step like that. – Wow. Limestone is still mined today. But with electric chainsaws it’s faster. And the stones are only used for restoration purposes. *Music* Now bend over, it’s going downhill. – Yes. With a total of 70 km, this mine is the largest underground tunnel system in the Netherlands. What comes next is not part of the standard tour, but you can also book it separately. That’s really fantastic. – Nice, right? A chapel from 1799. During the French Revolution , many priests from South Limburg refused to take an oath of allegiance to the French constitution and went underground. Was this actually a secret chapel? This was a secret chapel. People were hiding there too. So people could still… – …live their faith. The painting was done with brick and charcoal. You can also see something funny here. Can you imagine what that could have been for? The hole here now? – Yes. So far I’ve always been good with my answers. But now I have no idea. – That’s difficult too. People not only brought down food, but also, or later, animals. They tied them up here. There were goats, sheep, everything went into the pit. During so, yeah, hideout time. Sure, you lived here. – People lived here, yes. And right with altar here. – Right with altar, yes. If people lived and hid here, did they also get married here? Were children born here? – Yes, exactly. I don’t know about marriage now, I think so. Because it was actually a real chapel. But children were also born here during that time. – Yes? – Yes. Really impressive. After 1.5 hours we go back to daylight. *Music* Maastricht is one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands. The name is derived from the Latin mosa trajectum, i.e. where you can cross the Meuse. History was written here. In 1992, EU heads of state and government signed the Treaty on European Union in Maastricht. Regina said we’ll meet at a big red star. Not to be missed. Regina, hello. – Hi Daniel. Howdy. That’s the big red star, yes? – This is the big red star. The part of the coat of arms of Maastricht. “Maastricht: Meet Europe”, i.e. Maastricht meets Europe. Is Maastricht such an international city? Aachen is close, Cologne, Paris, Brussels is close. Everything is close. Hence the center and heart of Maastricht. Regina Starkmann moved here from southern Germany over 20 years ago to study. And fell in love. First into the city and then into a Maastricht. This is Regina’s favorite neighborhood. The medieval city wall that we are currently walking on leads directly to the next attraction. The tower is the 2nd city wall. Maastricht had 3 city walls. But the Helpoort, Hell’s Gate, is actually the most important thing, the oldest city gate. Oldest city gate in… – …the Netherlands. Hell’s Gate, you said. I thought it looked pretty nice behind it so far. It used to not be so nice here, in the other direction. If you walked in that direction and you came out, then you came to the plague meadow. That means if you have the plague, you won’t be able to come back. Then it closed here and it was time for you to finish work. Then you didn’t come to town anymore. People were happy you were out. * Music * Maastricht is known for its international university and attracts many young people. We are on the way in the Jekerkwartier. There are small shops and an old water mill. There used to be 20 mills in Maastricht. – Alone in Maastricht? The Maastrichtians, because they were attacked so often, had a law that you had to have food in the attic for six months. Each house had to be able to provide for itself for six months. That’s why you need a lot of mills. Because all the people… Let’s take a look. …because all the people had to be able to take care of themselves. The Bischofsmühle is the last remaining watermill. It was extensively restored in 2014. She grinds the flour for the in-house bakery. And for the workshops that take place under the roof. Baking workshops. This cake is called Vlaai. A South Limburg specialty filled with fruit. Of course we definitely have to try them. We take cherry. – Cherry is here. Well then. – He looks so good. Looks so delicious. – Smakelijk. How do you say? – Smakelijk. – Smakelijk. You have to be careful, the cherries have pits. I was lucky now. Wow, delicious. You have the core. I wanted to spit cherry stones, but… Frank, our cameraman, would probably have something against it. What is… Dutch probably spoken here, right? Of course you can get very far with Dutch. But if you want to belong, you should speak Mestreechs. The Maastricht dialect. Not only is it unique to Maastricht, but every district in Maastricht has its own tone, with a very French touch. And everything has to be drawn out. – Long pull? – Long pull. Vlaai. The people of Maastricht are so relaxed that you can hear it in their language. That’s great. That’s nice, you said that well. Regina now takes us to her favorite church. For them it is the most beautiful in the city. * Music * When you come to Maastricht, you light a candle. Or or rather a bougieke aansteken. – Bougieke. – Bougieke aansteken. Come on, let’s light one up too. * Music * The Basilica of Our Lady is one of a total of 50 churches in the city. Some are now used differently. This oldest Gothic church in the Netherlands lost its function as a place of worship 200 years ago . The Dominican Church has been a bookstore since 2006. We believe we have heavenly approval. Because if you look up, you’ll see 3 bishops from the Middle Ages painting. And they opened the book, the Gospel of John, to the first page. And the 1st phrase is: In the beginning was the word, in principio erat verbum. So, it’s about the word. And as a bookstore, we put our money where our mouth is. We think it fits, a bookstore fits. It’s about the ideas, the culture of the people, expressed in language. Thanks to its height, there is plenty of space for around 20,000 books. Anyone who thinks the church isn’t a good place for a bookstore doesn’t know its history. It has also been a bicycle parking station and a carnival hall. * Music * * Music * Here a monastery church and the associated buildings were transformed into a design hotel. The furnishings come from interior designer Henk Vos in collaboration with international designers such as Philippe Starck and the German lighting designer Ingo Maurer. The latest concept takes place under the youngest church roof. * Music * In the Foodchurch there are several restaurants where you can get South American or Asian street food. The motto here is food for the soul. * Music * As a Maastricht, you pay attention to your appearance. But of course, Maastricht is chic and beautiful, they say. "Chic en schoon", that’s where there are a lot of celebrations, where it’s really lived. This is very important in Maastricht. * Music * So, now we finally have some fries. You always stand in line in front of this sales window, says Regina. A good sign. How do you eat the fries here, what is standard here? So either with frietje special, ie with mayonnaise, ketchup and a bit of onions, raw onions. Or here in Maastricht frietje zuurvlees. – Zuurvlees. So sour meat translates. Fries have been made at Market 75 in Maastricht since 1909. According to old tradition and in beef fat. It is said to be the first and oldest chip shop in the Netherlands. Yes, I’ll take a big portion. Hello. Young man. Oh, yes, thank you. We’ll take the… – Frietje zuurvlees. – …frietje zuurvlees. Not too much sauce on it. – And do you want mayo? A speciality. – Do you have the Belgian mayo? No, the sweet homemade ones. Okay, but not too much of either. As if it were true. So. First of all, thick meat. I’m curious to see how you like zuurvlees. Tasty but unusual on fries. Or fries. Completely unusual. I know it. Zuurvlees for 20 years. But it has to be said that the combination works. The sweet and sour with the sweet mayonnaise that they make entirely themselves. I’m also on the cross-border question or for the question: Who actually invented fries? The Belgians say, of course, we Belgians. I think maybe… But we have the tastiest ones here in Maastricht. Here since 1909, I saw. – Since 1909. There are many different neighborhoods in Maastricht. A contrast to the medieval center is the Sphinx Quarter. Since the middle of the 19th century. The city on the Meuse was the center of the ceramics industry in the Netherlands. Many thousands of people worked in large ceramics and glass factories. Was porcelain made here? Porcelain, dishes, and later bathroom furniture. Not furniture, but bathrooms, toilets. The builder was also called the toilet king, the Pottekoning. Yes, exactly, because the Dutch language is always so sweet. Somehow everything sounds sweet, I think. What does toilet seat mean? pot lid. – Pot lid. * Music * The old factory buildings at the historic inland harbor were renovated, creating the trendy Sphinx district. This former power plant was converted into the Lumière film theater. * Music * Here Gérard Depardieu as a younger man, and here Jack Nicholson. Cinema and culinary delights in one. It’s nice, right? The former hall with steam engines is now a restaurant. Here it comes. – Yeah. Excellent. – Aperol Spritz. – Thank you. But that sounded very German. – Yes I speak German. I’m from köln. – Oh, from Cologne? Are you just here to work or are you studying here? No, I study here and this is my part-time job. But it may be that now you think, I’m just studying here, but 20 years later you’ll still be here, living here. That’s how it works, Regina. Bottom up. – Thanks. You see, just like you used to. Orange. – Orange. 20 years, that’s right, right? – Over 20 years actually. What I would like to know is, do you now dream in Dutch or in German? If you wake me up at night, I’ll speak Dutch. I can also talk a bit in a way that makes it sound like I’m Dutch, if you think that’s nicer. Thank you very much. -Cheers. * Music * Today we’re going on the water. The Meuse marks the Belgian-Dutch border for 40 km. We go on a canoe tour on the Grenzmaas and experience the Negenoord-Kerkeweerd nature reserve. Just behind Maastricht, Koen Heemskerk offers boat tours for families. You have to quickly turn left. Quickly to the right. – Understood. You go do that. – Thank you very much. And now there is Belgium? – No. – The Netherlands? On the right is the Netherlands, on the left is Belgium. You drive across the border. – Okay. Then we do the next few meters above the border, not just next to the border. Thank you very much, thank you very much. Koen also rents canoes and rafting boats. But I’ll take the kayak. Always straight ahead, right? – Yes, always straight ahead. Have fun. – Thanks. * Music * It continues just as beautifully as Maastricht left off. * Music * We are in the RevierPark Maasvallei nature reserve. An ecological river restoration project. *Music* Looking left and right, I would like to say that Belgium and the Netherlands look pretty much the same. At least from the border I’m currently traveling on. The Meuse has an eventful past. During the Ice Age it formed a gigantic river delta with the Rhine. In the 19th century it became the border river between Belgium and the Netherlands. Both kingdoms built ever higher dikes to protect against floods. Result, the other country was flooded. Now the Meuse is being allowed to follow its natural course again. *Music* As I drove past the horse I thought, does it think the grass is greener on the other side? That’s the general question. Whether the Belgians look to the Dutch and vice versa and think that the grass is greener on the other side of the Meuse. *Music* Just want to show some leg. *Music* Target in sight. Full throttle again, the last few meters here. Recreational paddlers like me have plenty of space on the Grenzmaas. Because shipping takes place somewhere else, on the canals next door. * Music * Our boat rental company previously described the mooring location to us. But others have already settled there. Wild Koniks horses. *Music* I’m completely perplexed. I wouldn’t have thought that the two of us would get so close together again. *Music* Unfortunately, we have to move on. There is still so much to discover. *Music* We’re on the Dutch side, and that’s Belgian side. I think you can see that clearly in the flags. That side is the Dutch, and over there is Belgium. And the ferry takes pedestrians and cyclists for free, regardless of their nationality. This is the Maas, and the Maas, they always say, it is the Grenzmaas. But for us, we are all in Dutch Limburg and Belgian Limburg, this is our common river. That’s not the limit. * Music * Jos Swinnen is one of 17 Meuse experts. That’s what the river guides are called. He wants to show us a unique nature reserve. * Music * A herd of wild Koniks also lives here, a robust breed that is very similar to the extinct European ancient horses, the tarpans. The ungulates come from Poland and were introduced as landscape managers. * Music * You can rent it here, right? – Yes. I’ll be the captain here now. – If you want. I’ll try it. Maybe we’ll end up on the Ruhr afterwards. Then today I’m the tourist. So, let’s try it. – Should we set off? Try it. *whistle* Yes. – Departure. Whoop. Bye. * Music * We are driving on the Oude Maas, an old tributary of the Maas. You can almost imagine why the boats with electric motors are called whisper boats . (whispers) They’re super quiet. *Music* There’s a lot to see here, right? Yes, such a small area, so much to see. Every year it is different. If the Maas was a little higher or the Meuse came out, then you always have a different landscape. The Meuse always brings with it new plants. In this area, the Meuse is the architect of the landscape. People adapt. Here you can really relax. Really come down. Yes, it’s really quiet. Now we have to be careful. – Caution. Caution. The mother is afraid for her children. – Yes / Yes. *Music* What is that? A small hut, like a tent. This is a campaign lot. You can spend the night there, on a vlot like this on this lake. Can you only get there by boat? – You can only come by boat. Like glamping, as they say. But that’s on the water. But that’s pretty cool. One of the largest rodents in Europe lives on the other bank. There’s a beaver pen there. – Beaver construction. – Yes. Beavers are skilled builders. Here goes under water, go down here that there is the entrance under water. And then he goes… – …on land again. Yes, back on land and into his bay. So the fox or other animal can’t get to it. And does it have 2 rooms? – It has 2 rooms. A room where he goes in, where he dries himself. And a room where they sleep. They do it separately from each other. In 2000, some animals from the Bavarian Forest were resettled here in the Belgian-Dutch nature reserve. Biodiversity knows no national borders. *Music* Are German shoes. – Yes. * Music * We drive to Alsdorf, north of Aachen. We visit an unusual museum in a former coal mining area . In the Hürtgenwald we are on a horse farm for children. The Aachen coalfield is one of the oldest coal mines in Europe. A lot of coal was also mined on Anna II in Alsdorf. Now you can experience the past and future of energy production here, in the ENERGETICON museum. In the truest sense of the word, I’m on a date with a friend. You can book a guided tour here. Hello. – Hi Daniel. Welcome to ENERGETICON. I was wondering, you said, hello Daniel, buddies are on first name terms. I am Erwin. – I am Daniel. Wonderful. Let’s go over here now. Because the rooms we are in here are the old Anna II mine. This is what it used to look like. – Okay. We’re in… Is this the building we’re in? No, this is the winding machine house. You can see it there. – You can see it up there. This one, a part there from below, is where we are here. Then we now go the way of the sun. It’s getting dark, but I’m with you. – That’s good. Oh. Now we are in the “sun room”. I strongly assume that the sun symbolizes it. We know that the sun is about 150 million km away from us. And the surface of the sun has a temperature of 5,500° C. Crazy. Inside the sun, hydrogen atoms fuse to form helium. This nuclear fusion releases an unimaginable amount of energy. The most important thing in this space is that the sun brings 7,000 times more energy to this earth for us. And we try to take advantage of that. There it is again, “7,000 times the world’s energy consumption.” That is unbelievable. These are numbers that you can’t imagine. Therefore, the sun is the future for us, so we must try to create the greatest benefit from it. Yes, it’s getting darker now. But as I said, I’m with you. Buddy Erwin takes us on a journey through the history of energy production. Brown and hard coal, crude oil and natural gas. Energy played an important role for humans thousands of years ago . And the sun has always been the largest source of energy. *Music* I saw a hand up there. Is there someone in the box? No, solar heat should be represented here. If you put your hand on it, the sun will shine from behind. And then you can notice something? – The warmth, how warm it gets. Warmth, exactly. – In any case. Quite huge. – Absolutely clear. And now we’re going underground. Please get in. * Music * Admittedly, the rope ride, i.e. the entrance into the mine, is only simulated here. Already reached 860 m. In reality it was only one floor down. A completely different temperature, right? – Yes, of course. We’re underground now too. And here we show how miners dug shafts hundreds of meters deep to extract hard coal, subjected to physical exertion and great danger . If we bend over, we can see that Fritz has been making money for us for a few years now. At the beginning of the time, when you only had 60 cm here, you couldn’t send in miners as fat as I was. But you said that. You had to send other people in there, slim people. Small people. – Small, I would be there. Erwin is a real buddy and was the oldest of 7 children in a miner’s family. He worked as an electrician. In 1992 Anna II came to an end. Yes, for me this is the most beautiful room in the ENERGETICON. Because there are still people pictured here who fought with me when I was active. * Music * What was the motivation, was it well paid? – Yes. At that time, the mining profession paid very well. Very well paid. And the families were able to make a living from it. You have to see it correctly. Here we are in the space of energy. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. That’s what I call hands-on science. As a living biopower plant on the flying bike. Many experiment stations with light, electricity, heat and cold illustrate that an energy transition is necessary today. Here we generate the voltage and current for the ENERGETICON. Of course I make lignite here. – Brown coal. I do photovoltaics. – Off to battle. Is this a competition here now? Then I also know why he let me be trampled. Now it’s starting there. You’re already much faster than me. I’ll never put up with that. Here it comes. Experiencing and understanding energy is the motto at ENERGETICON. Such hands-on stations are something for the whole family. Now you can see how much energy we are actually generating. I would generate 30 gigawatts. You don’t just declare energy, you are energy. How I met you, you walk through this with such passion. Why is it that you say you have so much fun explaining this to people? That’s how it is. The old generation that really had to work with their hands here doesn’t actually exist anymore. And the new generation, who now have to prepare for a different energy situation, will be a difficult case. Speaking of which, what do you think the energy of the future is? Energy of the future is to produce hydrogen from renewable energy. And to see it like gasoline in the directions that you can then change the vehicles accordingly. That will be the future. Says someone who deals with energy every day. Thank you very much, it was really fun getting to know you. Thank you for showing me everything. Come back. – I’ll be back, good luck. * Music * We are driving to the Hürtgen Forest. With almost 6,000 hectares, it is the largest contiguous forest area in North Rhine-Westphalia. Anyone who hears the name may also think of a terrible event. The battle in the Hürtgen Forest, one of the last before the end of the war. In the fall and winter of 1944/45, many thousands of US and German soldiers died in the Northern Eifel. And you can still see the anti-tank barriers of the West Wall today. * Music * * Music * Maris Dahmen and her husband Mick are the third generation to run the Tannhof. Mari’s grandparents built the farm in 1953. Trakehners have been bred here for a long time. * Music * 35 horses and a riding school. That means a lot of work. Things really get going at the Tannhof when there are children’s riding holidays. At 9 a.m. it’s time to get the horses ready. * Music * This is Emma, ​​and this is my favorite horse. This is the nicest thing and listens to all commands. The children are between 8 and 14 years old. Anyone who has had little experience with horses can still take part. Horse rides into nature are very popular, and there are plenty of them here. * Music * Cuddling session for everyone who isn’t on the ride. The horses live in open stables and are used to children. * Music * Oh yes, there is also a donkey at the Tannhof. And currently even new blood. An Appaloosa and a Trakehner foal were recently born. How old are the little ones? The white one is 3 weeks old and the black one is 2 weeks old. So still very fresh. – Newly born. But they don’t do that yet, that’s from the mother, right? No, that’s from the little one. – Real? – No, nonsense. I thought so, so much. I would have thought they would be much more shy. They get a lot of contact with people and get used to it. Oh, look, great. This would be yours to lead now. – Yes, come on, I’ll do it. It works really well with the leadership. – It’s really sweet. When can a horse like this be ridden? – If it is 3 years old. 3 years old at the earliest when fully grown, yes. I put brushes there. You can just take a brush from it. Any here? – Yes, exactly. A massage, free here. – Exactly. Come around here. Do you already have a name? No, we don’t have names yet. With the Trakehners it is the case that the foal… The name must have the first letter of the mother. This would be a B, this is Belle Amie. We often do it like this when we have children here on holiday, we collect suggestions. Because the kids are super proud when it’s their suggestion. Look here. First of all, kisses. Ow! (Maris) I can get you a softer brush, but it likes it that way. Is a Trakehner a good horse for a beginner? A Trakehner is very sensitive. But you can also have a feeling for horses and be sensitive as a beginner. I would say it’s not the one who rides the longest who has the best feeling. What I would be interested to know is why Trakehner? Why did you fall in love with this breed? The history of the Trakehners is interesting because they come from East Prussia and had to flee East Prussia at the end of the Second World War. During that time, many Trakehners saved people’s lives. Because they are so sensitive, children can also deal with it. Even if, because they are still small, they can’t touch their stomachs when they sit on the saddle. But the horses are so good-natured and sensitive that they react and make the children proud when a small child can gallop a 600 kg horse without help. Where are we galloping to? We’ll take you to the next paddock now. By the way, only children are allowed to ride here. Before the young horses go into the large herd, they should go to a separate paddock to let off steam. (cheeps) That sounds so cute. * Music * So, I say goodbye. And come back again with my daughter. Are there still kisses? Ciao. *Music* Well, it’s going to be a trip. Which should I choose, green, color of hope? A great color here too. I’ve never ridden a duck before. Maybe blue or simply white here? The vehicle. Or here? Come here. The two of us, we fit together, right? She will. And with this old darling we are now chugging to East Belgium and Wallonia. We visit an artists’ farm in Eynatten-Berlotte, the Sunday market in Aubel, the Val-Dieu monastery and the city of Liège. Our road trip with Duck begins at the former German-Belgian border crossing at Köpfchen . Jenny Roder will accompany me. Hi. – Hi. Wow. – Howdy. – Hi Daniel. Are you coming with me? – I’ve never been picked up like this before. At some point it’s always the first time. Understood. Okay, let’s get started then. Wow. Oh, great. * Music * Jenny lives with her family in Aachen. Left or right? – Now let’s drive on the left, please. Together with her husband she has written several books about the border triangle. Jenny studied in Cologne. But a great longing led her back to the border triangle. * Music * If you grow up in Aachen, then you’re not really Rhinelander. Rather, you are more of a Maaslander and a cross-border commuter. And I totally missed that in Cologne. I just love this. – What specifically did you miss? Border crosser, I think is a super word. What’s special about traveling across the borders? The special thing is the variety, the choice and a bit of the feeling for each other at the border. * Music * We are traveling in Herver Land in Belgium. Very typical, the small hills, the many pastures and orchards. And what is the mentality like in the border triangle? Perhaps one could accuse the German side of being a bit more reserved here and there. Although I wouldn’t actually describe us in Aachen that way. We are a very welcoming and very communicative town. But if you pin it on the Belgians and the Belgians, for example , then it’s like that, one more thing on top. I really love this lightness and serenity in Belgium . And the Dutch are a little different. And I love the fact that you have this triad of mood in the culture more than anything. A triad in the border triangle sounds harmonious. And every country has its own special culinary specialties. What all 3 of us have the same thing, or what we share, is the love for fries. It’s a cliché, but you can eat fries anywhere. Everyone claims who invented fries. Of course, there is narrative everywhere. We’re going on a gourmet tour. Because the way you love your neighboring country is through your stomach. Herve Land is famous for dairy products, syrup and cider. All of this is available at the Sunday market in Aubel, just 20 km from Aachen. * Music * Is cheese classic here from the region? Herver cheese is very classic, absolutely classic. Bonjour. – Bonjour. Can we try it? – Oui, bien sur. Thank you. I think this is the mild one we’re trying. – Thank you. Thank you. I’m curious. You can smell it, there’s a bit of something behind it. A little, but quite creamy. I would say we’re going to the next level again. While we’re there. We can try the spicy one. – In any case. Can we try the other one too? – Oui. The spicy one. Okay, next level. But that’s the classic, the smell of… That’s a different number. – …Region. Yes? – Let’s dare. I think it works really well with a beer. Or with a wine I could imagine. But now it’s really coming. – A lot happens there. But you can handle it well, better than me. You really have to be a badass boyfriend or girlfriend. Let’s see what else we can find. – Yes gladly. Thank you. – AU Revoir. Thank you. The market has existed since 1630. The ruler at the time granted the residents of Aubel the right to hold a weekly market in the town. It was later moved to Sunday. This is the day out, the day of the family in Belgium. * Music * And now we are faced with the next specialty. Belgian meatballs. I think this is the absolute classic. That’s traditional. We will also encounter the bulette again in Liège. Thank you. When it comes to meat, Jenny likes to dismiss it because she is a vegetarian. I’ll put it this way, a boy from the Ruhr area has to try a meatball here. Thank you beaucoup. – Thank you, au revoir. You want to taste your way through the region. Oh, that’s good. It’s really good. And it’s so greasy. But that’s exactly what makes it so good. – Okay. *Music* The Cistercian monks called this place Val Dieu, Valley of God, where they built an abbey. Religious wars, looting and destruction have affected the monastery over 800 years. But today Val Dieu is a peaceful place. * Music * Thousands of visitors come here every year. It’s nice, right? – Really nice sight, I think. The guiding principle of the Cistercians has its origins in the Benedictine rule. Among other things, this provides for a balance between work and prayer in the monks’ lives. Cistercians were masters in the field of agriculture. They made Val Dieu a green oasis. Today there are no more monks living behind the monastery walls. A Christian lay community looks after the facility. * Music * Since its founding, an important guiding principle in Val Dieu has been symbolized by 2 rings. In vinculo pacis, united in peace. * Music * All good things come in threes in the border triangle. I brought all 3 different varieties with me. There are 3 different strengths. The lightest thing has been placed at the front. There’s Blodne, Brun and Triple, which is the strongest. Do you have a favorite beer? – I like to drink the dark one. I’ll start with this. Pick one that you want to try. We can start there. How do you say? – A santé. For the benefit. – For the benefit. This is really easy. – That’s delicious, right? This is delicious and light. This is the strongest thing. I won’t drink it. Because we still have to go further with the duck. – You drive. Oh yeah. But also easy to drink. Maltier somehow. – Yes. Somehow, in Anno 1216. Good things come to those who wait. – Yes. For the benefit. – For the benefit. Try cheese with it. – I can’t do any more cheese right now. Cheese was enough. By the way, Val Dieu beer is the only abbey beer in Belgium because it is still brewed in the monastery. According to traditional recipes from the monks. But now very modern. * Music * Eight different varieties are now brewed here without any chemical additives or preservatives . A total of 27,000 hectoliters per year. * Music * * Music * Our day in Herver Land is slowly coming to an end. In a village in East Belgium, Jenny and I discovered something as we drove past that made us curious. So turn around again. * Horns * * Music * Wow, how did they go on vacation in them back in the day? Wow, several hours. It’s not without it. – A whole family. – Yes really. Short break. – Yes, look. Short art break. – Short art break. Yes cool. Old cigarette machine or what? Art vending machine. In fact, there are quite a few in the region. Here is an art yard that has created their own where we would like to buy some art. Come on, let’s do it. 7 euros. Well invested. I’ll do it here. It comes in here, right? Zack. Zack. Do you have a favorite? – A favorite? I really like the woman’s face. What do you think of it? Let’s take the woman. Great, look. But you can’t get the art down. I don’t want to just tear it up now. Come on. Oh, look, that’s nice, with an autograph. I thought it was just a picture, but it’s really nicely painted on wood. Cool. – Or? Something for home. – Nice souvenir. Come on, let’s go have a look. Hello, hi. – Hello. The art machine belongs to an old farm. Clearly an art farm. And today is even open studio day. The owners Britta and Marcel Schoenen work here as painters and sculptors. I was wondering, are we in Germany or Belgium? You usually only notice it in the atmosphere here in Belgium, that is different. What is it like, can you describe it? Spontaneously I would say more comfortable. (Jenny) Laissez faire. – Exactly. I grew up half here in the area. I grew up in Aachen, half of it here too, and always enjoyed being in my mother’s country. Because it has a different atmosphere. A little Francophone, a little vacation. That was literally a first small impression of you. You said you have a studio. Can we take a look? Very gladly. Come with me, you’re welcome. * Music * The artist couple’s showroom is in an old barn. On many Sundays they open the gates of their farm and give insights into their creative world. * Music * This is the cathedral, right? From Aachen? (Marcel) Exactly. Hometown. There is also the cathedral. This is the Aachen Cathedral. * Music * Where do you get inspiration from? The picture here in front, for example, was really a living room idea with my girlfriend. This is Australia ahead. I have to interrupt you for a moment, without flax. This is our sound person, this is Vanessa. Guys, look. We need a counter shot. Or? Then you can tell me what you want. (Britta) That fits. Yes or? * Music * The Liège train station, an architectural masterpiece. It was designed by the Catalan architect Santiago Calatrava. It takes about 20 minutes from Aachen to Liège by Thalys or ICE . * Music * Before we discover the city, we first take to the air in one of the largest free fall simulators in Europe. I have weak knees and am really excited. Now we’re heading straight up to Liège again. OK. – Nice. First you have to put the helmet on and your head back. Perfect. Are you ready to go? – Yes. As a beginner, you don’t go into the flight simulator alone. Juan gives me jump start. * Music * The wind jet from below is several 100 km/h fast. That’s why correct posture is very important here. * Music * An incredible feeling of weightlessness. * Music * Now Juan wants to go even further with me, fly a “tornado”. It goes up to a height of 10 m, like a skydive, only without a plane. *Music* What is that feeling? *Music* He’s really crazy here. You’re so crazy. That was so much fun. Also the tornado at the end. The tornado at the end. It was really crazy. Really strong. – If you dare… I’m not always the bravest, but you can dare. When you have someone like Juan by your side, nothing goes wrong. Thank you. That was great. Very gladly. See you next time. * Music * Then Juan shows us what you can do as a professional in indoor skydiving. * Music * * Music * Liège, the 1,000-year-old city on the Meuse. In the Middle Ages, Liége was, as it is called in French, the seat of powerful prince-bishops. To this day, the city is the cultural center of the Walloon region of Belgium. For centuries, Liège was dominated by coal and steel, which is why it is also called the burning city. * Music * The appeal of Liège is that Liège is so diverse. The city is not tidy. You don’t come in here and think everything is organized here. It all grew very organically. The city has patina. There is a very deep industrial history. Liège was the most important city during industrialization. And actually the key point in Europe. Cockerill is an important name. There were blast furnaces here and people worked here. You can see that, you can read it in the architecture. It’s sooty, it’s charming because it’s not so tidy. The untidy is the beauty in the end. You have to get involved with it. – Absolutely. There is a lot of old architecture, Wilhelminian style, Art Deco. And there are many small streets that invite you to explore. If you come here with a lot of curiosity, you will always be rewarded. I have curiosity and a sense of discovery is also present. I would say we can dive in. Where do we go first? – Into the square. Liège is a city, says Jenny, that is constantly changing. You never really know what awaits you around the next street corner. We are now walking through a connecting street in the Carré. Street, very narrow, right? – Yes, the narrowest street. And we are in the Neuvice. * Music * This is the street of handicrafts. Belgium is famous for chocolate and pralines. Mélanie Lemmens runs a chocolate factory here in the old town . * Music * Melanie is actually an art historian with a great passion for chocolate. In addition to the finest chocolates, she also creates such unicorn farts. In the workshop she shows chocolate fans big and small how it’s done. * Music * Their mustaches, chocolate mustaches on a stick, became best sellers . There are the models Einstein, Hercules Poirot and Chuck Norris. Bonjour. – Bonjour. – Bonjour. Bonjour. How are you? – Good and you? Thanks. Very good. I asked myself, I just said bonjour. Do you speak French or English? A little bit of German. – A bit of German too? – Yes. Do you want to try a chocolate? – Thank you. – Thank you. I have dark chocolate from Vietnam with ginger, with tea, coffee or pepper. I have caramel, I have chocolate with nuts. What is a typical Belgian style? What is typical, or is it all typical? – Everything. This is all typically Belgian. – Okay. Then we take 2 with caramel, is that possible? – Oui. I just have 2 with caramel. – Yes Perfect. Sounds classic. – Also caramel? – Caramel, yes. Even caramel. – Caramel. Thank you very much. Thank you. Are we toasting like this now? – Yes. Delicious, right? Wonderful. – Really great. Fantastic. – Thanks. If you look at it, there are so many different experiments here, right? Not just the chocolates, but also many other things. I see a unicorn behind there, for example Let’s just… – Should we look around? Move on again. – Yes very much. Where is the Unicorn? – That’s good here too. Uh. Never had such a delicious mustache. Uh. Can we try? Yes? Thank you. -Oh. Thank you. I have the… – What do you look like? Yes good too. * Music * Liège’s most famous son was the writer Georges Simenon, the inventor of Inspector Maigret. You can follow in his footsteps on a tour. Over the last 20 years, an urban art movement has established itself in Liège. Street art is even encouraged. * Music * This champion pigeon from a Liège breeder is one of the most beautiful specimens. There are now more than 30 legal and funded works of art. Most in the working-class district of Outremeuse, also a way to discover Liège. * Music * Homeowners agree not to paint their facade for 5 years. You can walk through the graffiti on your own or take a guided tour. *Music* Some days, Jenny says, people line up outside this bakery just to get their hands on the famous Liège waffle. * Music * The Liège waffle is made of yeast dough, it’s oozing, it’s heavy, there are pieces of sugar that caramelize. Are those the ones you see here? – Exactly. Shall we try 2? – In any case. Let’s take 2 with us. Do you want a waffle? -Yes. Cinnamon or Vanilla? -Vanilla. Look, they’re getting warmed up again. There we are. This is for you. Thank you. Thank you. Alright now. – Yeah, can’t wait. Oh, these are really, really good ones. Mm. Really great. – And what a beautiful shop. I always think it’s so nice when it’s arranged like that outside, when you see it in the shop window here, you immediately want to take everything with you. I think so too. Just opposite, a Belgian chip shop. The question arises: do the potato sticks actually taste better here than in the neighboring Dutch city of Maastricht? Are you saying you come from Aachen, do you say fries or fries? Because I would say fries here. – No, those are fries. These are, in Belgium they are also fries, fries, and we Aacheners also clearly say fries. Fries are far away. – Quiet area. We’d like some fries with Liège sauce, please. Yes, who invented fries? The Belgians were at least one of the first peoples in Europe to grow potatoes. It is said that the fries originated in the region when fishermen could no longer catch fish from the surrounding lakes because everything was iced over. And that everything was always fried, and they quickly came up with the idea of ​​cutting the potatoes into slices and frying them. Voilà, the frit was born, came into being. So okay, the Belgian is supposed to have invented the fry? – They say. Whether it can really be said historically… But it is definitely a nice anecdote that is told in the region. He puts the sauce on it. He means well for us. I ordered gravy with fries once, I think. Or fries. – But it has to really drip. I can see that it must be dripping. Now he puts mayo on it too. Please. – Thank you. Thank you. In Belgium we fry them twice. The first time at 140°, then they cool down a little, and the second time they are fried at 180°. The best Belgian fries are bathed in beef fat. AU Revoir. – Au revoir, goodbye. – Bye. It’s so nice that they all speak a few words of German. We move a little to the side. A little sweet, but also very oniony. So you have to like onions. But I find it delicious. But I can’t do it all alone, there’s still something left for the team. You can be happy about that. But now let’s do a few more meters. Yes, we still have a lot to do. In Liège, pubs, museums and galleries attract many visitors to the city. And behind old walls, young brasseries with home-brewed Belgian beer await you. * Music * The sight. You have… Altobelli. * Music * And there’s no other way? – No, definitely not. That’s the only way up. I’ll take some time off here. So, we already have 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. It can only get better. The stairs lead from the old town to the higher residential areas and have a gradient of up to 30%. Exhausting, not just for tourists. People actually live here, as you can see. If you’re a postman here, of course there’s a number, right? If you look at it for yourself, we’re really out of breath. When I imagine that there is no more water at home, all the milk… – Shit, I forgot the milk. The stairs were built at the end of the 19th century to give the soldiers of the citadel above quick access to the city center. Well, fast is relative. But it’s not much anymore, that’s what’s reassuring. Understood. – Final spurt. Yes, you said spurt. – Ah okay. * Music * Where did you get the turbo again now? *Music* But it was worth it. – Definitely. The last few meters are really worth it. If you think halfway through, I won’t do any more. Yes, the last few meters, because now you can see everything. A great final image, you could say. It’s fitting, because we’re at the end of the show. That pleases me. Can we say goodbye together, with our last breath. Thank you for visiting Wallonia. A border triangle that leaves us breathless. Thank you for being there. Thanks to you and see you next time. (both) Bye. * Music * Copyright WDR 2024

Bei einem Urlaub rund um Aachen lohnt es sich auch mal bei den Nachbarn in den Niederlanden und Belgien vorbeizuschauen. Daniel Aßmann ist unterwegs im Dreiländereck und findet heraus, was die Menschen in der Grenzregion miteinander verbindet.

Er radelt auf der Heuvelland-Fietsroute von Aachen bis zur schönen Studentenstadt Maastricht. Dort angekommen unternimmt er eine Paddeltour mit dem Kanu auf der Maas und entdeckt das Naturschutzgebiet Negenoord-Kerkeweerd mit einem elektrischen Flüsterboot. Enten trifft er nicht nur auf dem Wasser: Mit dem gleichnamigen Oldtimer unternimmt er einen Roadtrip in die Wallonie und nach Ostbelgien. Es wird eine kleine Schlemmertour: Für Fritten, Waffeln und Bier ist Belgien schließlich bekannt. Auf dem Weg nach Lüttich macht Daniel Aßmann noch einen Abstecher zu einem der größten Freifallsimulatoren Europas.

Auch an der holländischen Küste lässt sich zwischen Nordsee und Ijsselmeer wunderbar entspannen – jetzt in der ARD-Mediathek: https://1.ard.de/reisen-nordholland-entspannung?yt=d

00:00 Intro
01:54 Über die Heuvelland-Fietsroute nach Maastricht
05:30 Weinregion Limburg am Bergdorpje Vijlen
08:26 Regionale Leckereien genießen
12:57 Abenteuer unter der Erde: Grottenbiken in Valkenburg
19:17 Hauptstadt der Provinz Limburg: Maastricht
25:05 Himmlische Zustimmung: Buchhandlung in der Dominikanerkirche
32:53 Paddeltour auf der Grenzmaas
36:20 Konigs-Wildpferde am Flussufer
42:46 Untern Kumpeln: Museum Energeticon in Alsdorf
50:13 Reiten durch den Hürtgenwald
56:57 In der Ente durch Ostbelgien
01:00:48 Spezialitäten auf dem Sonntagsmarkt in Aubel
01:04:03 Bier aus Kelchen: Die Abtei von Val-Dieu
01:07:40 Kunsthof in Eynatten-Berlotte
01:11:52 Jan schwebt im Windkanal
01:14:55 Lüttich: Die tausendjährige Stadt
01:20:31 Legal & gefördert: Lütticher Streetart
01:25:46 374 Stufen auf den Montagne de Bueren
01:27:39 Outro

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Weitere Infos:
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► Wunderschön: https://wunderschoen.wdr.de
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#aachen #maastricht #lüttich #deutschland #niederlande #belgien #wunderschön #ARDReisen

“Wunderschön – Urlaub rund um Aachen” ist ein Film von Beate Höfener.
Dieser Film wurde 2024 im Auftrag des WDR produziert. Alle Aussagen und Fakten entsprechen dem damaligen Stand und wurden seitdem nicht aktualisiert.

* Zur Erstellung des Thumbnails wurde eine Bildbearbeitungssoftware verwendet, die auch KI nutzt.