Discover Konzen

Konzen offers two distinct perspectives for a stay: its long history of settlement and churches, and trails that focus on history or the landscape. When planning a trip, you can decide whether you would rather explore historic sites or set aside time for a hiking or cycling trail.

Chapels and history

Pankratius Chapel is located in Konzen’s current cemetery, about 30 metres north of St. Peter’s Parish Church. Its eastern half is the remnant of the mother church of the Monschau region, built around 890. Pankratius Chapel is probably the oldest stone-built church in the Monschau region. Quirinius Chapel is also part of the area’s architectural history: it was consecrated in 1968 on the site of an earlier building dating from 1679.

In Carolingian times, continuing from a Roman-era settlement, Konzen became the centre of the resettlement of the Monschau region, which had reverted to woodland, no later than the end of the 8th century. A royal estate was established here under Charlemagne. Together with the mother church, whose construction dates to around 890, this gives Konzen several distinct historical points of reference.

Hiking trails with different points of focus

The Kaiser-Karl-Weg (Charlemagne Trail) focuses on Charlemagne’s former hunting grounds. Along its 17 stations and sites, numerous information and activity panels explain features of the former hunting grounds and their links to the Carolingian era. The trail is 8.6 kilometres long in total. If you choose a route with a historical focus, you’ll find both a clearly defined theme and a specific distance here.

Another hiking option is the circular route “44 – On the trail in Konzen,” rated very easy to easy. The first 1.2 kilometres lead southwest from the hiking car park via the “Liechewäch.” For centuries, the people of Mützenich used this path to bring their dead to the cemetery in Konzen. The circular route’s difficulty rating is thus paired with a specific historical connection in its first section.

Laufenbach Valley and the Vennbahn

The “Am Laufenbach” route starts at the car park by Konzen church and passes through extensive meadows, with views over the Laufenbach Valley along the way. Konzen lies in the Laufenbach’s source basin, on the edge of the High Fens. The route follows 1.1 kilometres of the former Vennbahn railway line. This gives it a different focus from the Kaiser-Karl-Weg: here, meadows and valley views are paired with a section along the former railway line, while the other trail features stations about the Carolingian era.

Cyclists also have a convenient access point: within the Monschau municipal area, the Vennbahn can be reached, among other places, via the car park on the B258 near Konzen. This car park is one of four access points to the Vennbahn.

In the wider destination of Monschau

The wider destination of Monschau has other independent cultural and leisure attractions. To explore Monschau’s Old Town on your own, take circular route 15. Monschau’s landmarks include the Red House, the half-timbered façades along the Rur, and the castle. The Red House was built in 1760 by textile manufacturer Johann Heinrich Scheibler as a residence and business premises.

At the Monschau Glassworks, you can watch glassblowers shape vessels or glass figurines from a glowing mass. The “Monschauer-Land-Route” cycling tour also passes through the cloth-making town of Monschau. These attractions give the wider destination its own cultural and active highlights alongside the chapels and trails that shape Konzen.

Discover more destinations

Höfen, Mützenich, Rohren, Kalterherberg

Back to the wider travel overview: Monschau.