The best running trails around Reichswald

Narrow path with a wonderful downward flow and a nice climb up. Just across the border, but you feel like you're cycling in Sauerland or beyond.

In the middle of the forest two beautiful ponds between the trees

There are many gnomes in the forest

Bench between the remains of the walled lower garden of Huize Sint-Jansberg. This villa, also known as 'the castle', which became the core of a beautiful estate in the second half of the nineteenth century but was completely destroyed in 1944, also had a coach house, gardener's house, various other outbuildings, tenant farms and gardens, such as an upper garden with fruit trees and the walled lower garden that had three levels and where you will find this bench. Part of the wall is still visible, as are the greenhouses and a section of the garden steps. You can enter the garden remains and ruins and discover the bench to rest among the past. Of course, you have to search a little, walk, make an effort and, if necessary, read the information boards. On the bench you will find a metal plate with the text "Searching for forest history".

Huize Sint-Jansberg, also known as 'the castle', which became the core of a beautiful estate in the second half of the nineteenth century but was completely destroyed in 1944, also had a coach house, gardener's house, various other outbuildings, tenant farms and gardens, such as an upper garden with fruit trees and a walled lower garden that had three levels. Part of the wall is still visible, as are the greenhouses and a piece of the garden's steps. You can enter and there is also a bench.

Sequoias are of course not native trees and this one is also a remnant of the times when a country house stood here, Huize Sint-Jansberg. The sequoia, together with lime trees, marks the place where the front garden with a circular lawn once stood.

As mentioned elsewhere, this forest once belonged to the domain of Huize Sint-Jansberg, which was completely destroyed in 1944. Here and there you will find various remains of the estate and landscape elements, sometimes even fragments. This former ice cellar also belongs to it. You can't really get to it (in theory), but you can see the entrance and an information board, also about its current use in the context of bat hibernation. In itself perhaps not so special, but if you combine all the elements with the history of Huize Sint-Jansberg and its remains, you get, in addition to an image of the beautiful forest as it is, also an image of what it was like here.

Then you come from Milsbeek into that beautiful forest (or from somewhere else) and you see those beautiful ponds. Believe me: no photo can do justice to how fairytale-like beautiful this area is. But make no mistake: a lot of what you see here dates from a not so long ago time when this forest was still the domain of a manor house. Apart from a few pieces and remains (such as an ice cellar), Huize Sint-Jansberg, which was decorated with ornaments that came from a Roman villa (which you can read more about) was completely destroyed in 1944. Incidentally, Sint-Jansberg was part of Germany until 1817. And those ponds? The three ponds used to have different functions. What exactly can be read on an information board near the ice cellar and the giant sequoia. One of them already served as a swimming pond. And there are plans to accentuate the cultural-historical elements of all three. But above all, enjoy them very much because they are beautiful, just like the slopes of the forest in which they are located. Really wonderful.