Simpelveld: Railway History and Hiking Trails

Holiday apartment in Simpelveld amid trails and culture

Simpelveld combines railway history, ecclesiastical architecture, Roman traces and a hilly landscape. If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Simpelveld, you can tailor your stay to suit different interests: the Parkstadroute appeals to cyclists and hikers, while museums, churches and historic sites offer cultural discoveries.

The approximately 34-kilometre-long Parkstadroute runs between Beekdaelen and Simpelveld. Its endpoint is at the railway grounds in Simpelveld, where the regional route network connects with Germany's Vennbahn and Belgium's Kolenspoor. Simpelveld also has a network of hiking and cycling routes, allowing you to choose your own route and distance.

The railway tradition is particularly defining. The old station building at Station Simpelveld dates from 1908 and forms the centrepiece of the De Miljoenenlijn railway museum. From Station Simpelveld, the Miljoenenlijn offers a nostalgic train journey through the hills of Zuid-Limburg. A guided tour of the grounds at Station Simpelveld takes about 45 minutes and also includes the signal box and workshop.

The local culture can also be discovered at several specific sites. Museum de Schat van Simpelveld is located in the stately Huize Loreto convent. The museum displays highly refined 19th- and 20th-century embroidery, known as needle painting, as well as paintings, golden chalices, wax figures and medieval sculptures. The Sint Remigiuskerk is a three-aisled cruciform basilica with a west tower in traditionalist forms influenced by Romanesque architecture. Its interior contains a communion rail, a 19th-century pulpit, an 18th-century organ loft on columns made of Namur stone, and two 19th-century confessionals.

Behind Loreto Convent lies a wooded hillside with a Lourdes grotto, a ruined chapel, fourteen Stations of the Cross and a well-maintained cemetery for the convent's sisters. The grounds behind Loreto Convent can be reached via Rodeput and the Hoogenberg footpath. After 200 metres, you will reach a gate; a path beside it leads to the Lourdes grotto, chapel and Stations of the Cross.

For hikers interested in history, the “Roman highlights in Simpelveld” route is 8.4 kilometres long and takes about two hours. It passes the site where the Dame van Simpelveld was discovered, one of the most significant Roman finds in the Netherlands. After a strenuous climb, the route reaches a viewpoint overlooking the fields extensively developed for agriculture by the Romans. Those looking for a hike classified as challenging will find another option in “Plateau Huls Simpelveld”.

Land van Kalk stretches from Aachen via Simpelveld to Voerendaal and provides a habitat for distinctive plants and animals. The “Roman Simpelveld and Voerendaal” cycling route uses a bicycle junction network that makes navigation easier and starts at the Miljoenenlijn car park in Simpelveld, between bicycle junctions 88 and 89. The former Oude Molen watermill west of Simpelveld originally dates from 1774; its waterwheel, with a diameter of five metres, is still present in a covered extension of the mill house.

For further orientation in the area, you can also view Bocholtz.

For the higher-level travel overview: Simpelveld.