Köpfchen is the former border crossing on Eupener Straße between Aachen (Germany) and Raeren (Belgium). Heavy freight traffic in the 1950s led to the construction of the border hut in the middle of the road on the Belgian side. When the facilities were abandoned after the border opened in 1995 (under the Schengen Agreement), they faced rapid decay. The founding of the German-Belgian association “Kunst und Kultur im Köpfchen” (KuKuK- “Arts and Culture at Köpfchen”) in 2000 finally secured the preservation of the Belgian customs building. Since then the site has come alive with diverse and well-attended cultural events.
West Embankment: This is a relic of Nazi war policy that has been preserved as a defining feature of the landscape in many places throughout the Aachen region—including south of Rotsiefweg, west of Köpfchen. Between 1936 and 1938, more than 14,000 bunkers, tunnels, and a 76-kilometer-long line of anti-tank mounds were constructed. Some of the mounds, also known as “Hitler’s asparagus,” are now designated historic landmarks and have, over time, become a refuge for many rare plants and animals.
Defense Trench: Further along Route 5, you briefly cross the border, passing through the Aachen Landgraben (Defense Trench). Here you’ll find a very beautiful ensemble consisting of a rampart, an eagle stone, and border beech trees. A little further on, just past the Schmalzloch hut, you can again admire some mighty border beech trees a short distance off-route. Follow the turnoff toward Grüntal/Kelmis for a few meters to reach the imposing beech trees, which—having gone unpruned for a hundred years—have inter-grown with each other into bizarre shapes. An information board explains this process.
Burial Mounds: A short distance off-route, on Klausberg, there are burial mounds dating from the Early to Middle Bronze Age (approx. 1000 to 100 B.C.E). In 1924 Aachen Professor Liese uncovered and examined these mounds. An elongated central mound made of uncut stones was found, covering a sarcophagus beneath it. Radiating from the mound, small stone walls led to a larger surrounding stone circle.
Alt-Linzenshäuschen: The border of the Aachen Empire was once secured by the “Landgraben” (defense trench) and several watchtowers. One of them stood at what is now known as the “Linzenzhäuschen” on Eupener Straße. It was originally called the “Brandenberg Watchtower,” “Brandenberg” being a term for “border hill.” Over the course of history the name changed because in 1499, Lenz Besteyn—in High German: Laurenz Sebastian—was appointed guardian for life. Due to his small stature and the tower’s stately appearance by the standards of the time, he was popularly known as “Leensgyn up ghen Huysyijn”—“Lenzchen in his little house.” Over the centuries, the tower’s name thus evolved into “Linzenshäuschen.” Remnants of the walls of the former watchtower can still be seen on the building today.
Pionierquelle: The Pionierquelle was built in 1939–40, shortly before the German Wehrmacht invaded Belgium and the Netherlands, by engineering troops stationed nearby. A shelter with the same name is also located there, offering a place to rest. Directly across from it is a children’s playground.
