100Dörfer-Zukunft - Belgium

100 Dörfer - 1 Zukunft: projet principal

Portrait of a Region

The Belgian East Cantons are the best example of a fusion of two cultures, the Latin and the Germanic, in one region. This tiny bilingual region in the East of the Province of Liege is a meeting place where both cultures cross-pollinate. The German-speaking community has much more autonomy, and has a parliament which manages its own government; Malmedy Wallonia however is home to the French community. Regardless of their attachment to different cultural communities, the High Fens or Hautes-Fagnes, the valleys of the Warche, the Our, the Göhl, the Amel and the Weser as well as the lakes of Robertville, Bütgenbach and Eupen provide a wide-ranging natural landscape for tourism. Geographically, the East Cantons are bordered both to the North and South by a “T-junction” of national borders. Close cooperation with the Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg has been more than simply a symbol for many years now.

Decision-makers in this area have rejected the development of frantic mass tourism in favour of guided, planned tour travel. The result is a plan of action with a sense of proportion. The cornerstones of this policy can be summarised as follows:

- Quality tourism (Marketing of services instead of simply advertising directly lucrative products);
- Four Season Tourism (Management of demand and increasing business profitability);
- Family Tourism (Active leisure activities in protected natural environments) and
- Cultural Tourism (Exploring the roots of nature).


Living Nature

The Hohes Venn-Eifel Nature Park (700 km²) as well as the High Fens (Hautes-Fagnes) Nature Reserve (which at 4,000 hectares is the largest of its kind in Belgium) in a certain way guarantee the protection of nature and the environment, the maintenance of untouched landscapes as well as a certain quality of life. Political and tourism decision-makers as much as the inhabitants of the East Cantons believe in these values, and are at the same time proud and fortunate to be able to share this with their guests. The joint programme of the nature centres at Botrange (B), Ternell Eupen (B), Nettersheim (D) and of different nature protection organisations offers an abundance of nature-related activities: study exhibitions, trips, nature activities, eco-educational hikes, permanent and temporary exhibitions, maintenance work and biotope management, training seminars, educational leisure activities, kid’s clubs, photo-safaris, etc. For further information on these various activities, visitors can make enquiries with the East Cantons Tourist Office.



Roaming wherever your feet take you

With 40,000 hectares of forest, a distinctive natural landscape with characteristic hedges and green valleys and peaks, the East Cantons are a Mecca for hikers. Hiking and tour associations organise a variety of guided hikes, usually on Sundays, to explore the several thousand kilometres of recognisable hiking paths, which are all suitable for family hikes.

Cycling hikes along the disused St. Vith-Weismes railway line

It is worth noting that there is a difference in height of only 80m along this 17 km-long stretch from its highest point (Weismes Railway Station: 510 m N.N.) to its lowest (Montenau: 430 m N.N.), and everyone will be able to master the gentle gradients.

Also remarkable is the path surface, which is not tarmac, as is usual for rambling paths, but instead is made of a fastened earth mixture. This is a great benefit for joggers and does not hinder cyclists.

The Hohes Venn (High Fens)-Eifel CYCLING TOUR

At the height of summer, the cycle hiking path along the disused St.Vith-Weismes railway line is marked as part of the huge, 850-km long Hohes Venn-Eifel CYCLING TOUR cycle path network.

This is a web-like network consisting of numbered and connected junctions.

This cycle path network stretches from the Dutch to the Luxembourg borders over the whole of East Belgium (and thus beyond the East Cantons).

The cycle path was an initiative of the East Cantons Tourist Office and the Tourism Association of the Province of Liege, with financial support from the Walloon Region, the German-speaking community and the Province of Liege as well as the municipalities involved.


Mountain Biking

Despite the hilly landscape of the Eifel and the Ardennes, the East Cantons offer an ideal setting for cycling.
Mountain bike maps provide tracks through the entire south of the East Cantons totalling more than 600 kilometres.
Well-defined field and forest tracks continue to attract both tour cyclists and mountain bike riders back for cycle tours of several days, during which they have numerous opportunities to appreciate the natural beauty of the area.

Charm Hotels

Over the last few years, the hotel business in the East Cantons has seen a much recognised upswing. Many of the local hotel businesses already rank among the outstanding gourmet highpoints of the Eifel-Ardennes region. East Belgian establishments have garnered a lot of attention thanks to a variety of different events such as gastronomic autumn game weekends and special Christmas and New Year’s Eve events, which already enjoy an international reputation. Here specialities from French and regional cuisine jostle for ranking excellence, which is not surprising when you consider that most East Belgian chefs can boast many years’ experience in the best Belgian restaurants.
An advertising association has been working since 1993 to promote the attractions of participating hotels using the "Charm Hotels" motto.
"Charm Hotels" are family-friendly, mostly small, comfortable hotels, whose closeness to nature gives them a special charm. Knowledgeable hotel managers vouch for a particularly personal welcome, and a noticeably friendly atmosphere.

Find out more – it’s so easy

Would you like to find out more about tourism in the East Cantons?
No problem, you can do this in several ways:
The East Belgian Leisure Hotline - 080/22 74 74 – is available around the clock and provides recorded information on different events.
The "Tourist-Journal" leisure magazine, which is published quarterly, is available free in all tourist accommodation (hotels, serviced apartments, etc.) as well as in all Tourism Associations.
Brochures for the various municipalities and of course also for accommodation listings in East Belgium (hotels, holiday homes, camping) are also vital sources of information.

If you are planning a trip, you can get all of this information as well as other useful information at:



EAST CANTONS TOURIST OFFICE
Mühlenbachstraße 2 – 4780 ST. VITH
Tel.: 080/22 76 64 – Fax: 080/ 22 65 39
E-Mail: info@eastbelgium.com – www.eastbelgium.com