Holiday apartment in Leudal: nature, hiking trails and culture

Leudal combines a protected stream-valley landscape, varied hiking trails, historic buildings and places of remembrance. On its eastern side, the municipality of Leudal is bordered by the Maasplassen lakes. This means the area offers a range of landscape, trail and cultural themes that can be combined while exploring the municipality.

Nature

Leudal is a protected Natura 2000 nature area and is characterised by a stream-valley landscape in Midden-Limburg. Deeply incised streams, old meanders, moist deciduous forests and flower-rich grasslands shape this landscape. At the same time, Leudal provides a habitat for kingfishers, grey wagtails, badgers, beavers, as well as bitterlings, weatherfish and gudgeons. Another special feature is the Bomenbos Leudal, a newly planted woodland of approximately 6,000 square metres. It contains 90 different trees divided into 10 categories.

Hiking and exploring

The numbered hiking junctions in Leudal allow visitors to create their own walking routes. In addition, various signposted hiking trails lead through the municipality around its 16 village centres. One of the named routes is the “Bekenroute door het Leudal”, a 12.1-kilometre hiking trail starting at Raadhuisplein or Roggelseweg in Haelen. The “WWW-wandelroute”, also known as the “Water Wandel Wereld” route, passes through Leudal and is approximately 15 kilometres long.

Families can enjoy “De geheime sleutels van het Leudal”, a smartphone treasure hunt featuring puzzles and secrets. The tasks can be solved on site using clues; the activity is aimed at children aged approximately 6 to 12 and their families.

Culture

The Leudalmuseum presents its objects in ten thematic groups: prehistory, Romans, crafts, PLEM/electricity, shooting guilds, religion, household, the Second World War and warfare, as well as clothing. The St. Elisabethmolen is also one of the tourist attractions in the municipality of Leudal. It was a watermill on the Leubeek and belonged to Klooster Sint-Elisabethsdal. In 2014, the section located under water was partially replaced. The mill received a new waterwheel and a generator for producing green electricity and is now protected by a roof.

Three cycling routes on the theme of “Rijke Roomse Leven” pass through Leudal and bring the municipality’s Catholic heritage to life. At the Bezoekerscentrum Leudal, visitors can obtain hiking and cycling routes, tips about the surrounding area and information about Leudal’s special features.

History

The Monument van Verdraagzaamheid commemorates the war years from 1940 to 1945 and the more than 800 military personnel from 11 nations who lost their lives in the Leudal area. It was unveiled on 8 March 2001. An international memorial service is held there every year on the Thursday closest to 16 November. It is organised by the Stichting Herdenkingsmonument Militairen together with the municipality of Leudal.

Kasteel Aldenghoor, a medieval castle, stands in Haelen. The main building from the 17th century has two wings with hipped roofs. At the inner corner stands a black, round tower from the 15th or 16th century, built of brick and marlstone. Kasteel Horn has an oval castle wall that dates mainly from the 15th and 16th centuries and also contains remains from the 14th century. The ancestral castle of the Lords of Horn is well preserved; an attractive park with walking paths surrounds the castle.

Getting around Leudal

The car park next to the Bezoekerscentrum Leudal at Roggelseweg 58 in Haelen has a universal charging station for electric cars. The visitor centre also lends two all-terrain wheelchairs, allowing visitors with limited mobility to experience nature in Leudal.

Places in Leudal

For further orientation, the pages for the individual places lead to Grathem, Roggel, Heythuysen, Baexem, Haelen, Horn, Neeritter, Ell, Hunsel, Buggenum, Neer, Kelpen-Oler and Ittervoort.

For the higher-level travel overview: Limburg.