From September 1944 to March 1945, the Rhineland, the western part of what is now the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany, was liberated by the Western Allies. On 12 September 1944, Allied soldiers set foot on German soil for the first time.The 1st US Army fought for the city of Aachen and the Eifel region, while the 9th US Army, together with the British 21st Army Group and Canadian units, advanced towards the Rhine in the north of the region.These events are known as Operation Market Garden, Operation Veritable, Operation Grenade and Operation Plunder, as well as the Battle of Aachen and the Battle of Hürtgen Forest.This collection of themed routes preserves the memory of this period with memorials, stories, audio spots and biographies from different perspectives relating to liberation from National Socialism.The collection includes several cycling and hiking routes that connect these stories and allow visitors to enjoy the landscape and culinary offerings of the region:<ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.liberationroute.com/themed-routes/122">The liberation of Würselen during the Battle of Aachen</a> (hiking route)</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.liberationroute.com/themed-routes/121">Compassion and selfless help in the Westkreis</a> (cycling route)</li></ul>The implementation of the audio spots and the digital presentation was made possible by funding from the Ministry of Home Affairs of North Rhine-Westphalia.

dscn0970.jpg

The Liberation of the Rhineland at the end of WW2

The ten-kilometre hike starts at St. Sebastian's Church in Würselen. There, an audio spot tells the story of US Sergeant William Aubut, who wrote letters to his family in the autumn of 1944 and was killed in action. His grandson later composed a moving song called ‘Somewhere in Germany’ based on these letters. A total of 398 dead from both world wars are buried in the cemetery of St. Sebastian.The district of Scherberg was one of the scenes of fierce fighting during the Battle of Aachen, in which the 30th US Infantry Division, known as ‘Old Hickory’, was particularly involved. Before reaching the Wurm Valley, a wayside cross commemorates two soldiers, one American and one German, who were both killed in action on German soil in the autumn of 1944.The route takes hikers through a scenic part of the Wurm Valley to the Wolfsfurth, the location of a bunker from the former Siegfried Line. A narrow path then leads up to the Kahlenberg, which offers a wonderful view of Aachen.The route continues first towards Kaisersruh and then uphill to Würselen. The climb is rewarded with a wide view of the Aachen basin. Würselen was liberated only four weeks after the surrender of Aachen during the battle for the city (2 to 21 October 1944). Brutal and bitter fighting took place here in a very confined space, costing many lives.

Germany

The liberation of Würselen during the Battle of Aachen

This remembrance cycling tour begins at the Waldniel-Hostert Memorial, once the St. Josefsheim – a place where children fell victim to the Nazi euthanasia programme. Today, it serves as a memorial and a point of interest on the Liberation Route Europe, connecting stories of war, liberation, and renewal. From here, the themed route leads cyclists into Waldniel’s historic village centre (via junction 24), whose narrow streets reflect rural life during the war. The next destination is the village Amern whose citizens survived dire war conditions.At Brüggen Castle, once a border fortress of the Duchy of Jülich and now a museum, two audiospots recall local wartime stories: one related to the St. Rochus Hospital, where nuns cared for the wounded under heavy bombardement, and another for the Stroetges family, who found shelter in the castle’s casemates. Following the Schwalm River, the route reaches Elmpt (junction 26) in the municipality of Niederkrüchten. After the war, this area became home to the Royal Air Force Brüggen (later Javelin Barracks), one of NATO’s largest Cold War bases in Germany. Today, the site is being peacefully redeveloped, symbolising the transformation from war to cooperation.In the village Oberkrüchten (junction 10), the audiospot “Crash of the Lancaster” commemorates the crash of a British bomber in 1943 – a lasting local memory. Niederkrüchten (junction 17) stands as a symbol of post-war reconstruction and the British presence on the Lower Rhine. This tour blends natural beauty and remembrance, tracing Europe’s journey from conflict to peace along the paths of liberation. The cycle paths in the Rhineland are equipped with so-called junctions (German: Knotenpunkte), which make it easier to navigate while cycling. They can be found in brackets after the location details on this themed cycling route and correspond with the signposts along the way.

The Liberation of the Rhineland at the end of WW2

Thema-routes

The liberation of Würselen during the Battle of Aachen

Compassion and selfless help in the Westkreis

Kaart