Tour 5: ‘In the Valley of the Butterflies’ Schönberg – hiking in East Belgium

This afternoon I jumped from the southern Eifel to neighboring East Belgium. I initially dismissed the name of the tour as a marketing gimmick, but in a certain section of the small tour from Schönberg (St. Vith) you can really see a lot of butterflies, a sight that is unfortunately becoming increasingly rare. 🦋 https://www.ostbelgien.eu/de/fiche/hiking/enjoyment-tour-05-schoenberg There are more beautiful hiking trails in Ostbelgien in my growing collection: https://www.komoot.de/collection/1810118/-ostbelgien-hohes-venn-ardennen

Beautiful hike in East Belgium. Despite it being autumn, we were actually able to see a few butterflies.

There weren't many butterflies here today, but there was a deer in the stream and plenty of birdsong in the forest. Not a particularly enjoyable hike, but still a nice walk. By junctions 1-6-29-26-62-51-6-1

Today I drove to East Belgium to do another leisurely hike. Leisurely hike 5 in the Valley of the Butterflies starts in Schönberg. Schönberg has been part of the municipality of St. Vith in East Belgium since 1977 and belongs to the German-speaking community. The village is located about 10 kilometers east of St. Vith in a hilly landscape with meadows and forests between 420 and 520 meters above sea level, on the Our River. As a result of the Congress of Vienna in 1815, it became part of the Kingdom of Prussia, the administrative district of Aachen, the district of St. Vith, and from 1820 the district of Malmedy. After the First World War, Schönberg, along with the remaining towns in the districts of Eupen and Malmedy, was assigned to the Kingdom of Belgium by the Treaty of Versailles in 1920. During the Second World War, it was temporarily annexed by the German Reich again; during the Battle of the Bulge in 1944/45, almost all of the village's houses were destroyed. I parked at the cemetery and walked down through the village. The Lourdes Grotto is on the right side of the path. The "Our Lady of Lourdes" grotto was initiated by Pastor Franz Darcis in 1938. The Schönberg priest had expressed a desire to create a modest Lourdes grotto in the rectory garden. The community then developed a plan to build a public pilgrimage grotto. The tour leads through the Kleinweberbach and Großweberbach valleys – a natural wonder rich in biodiversity: At the beginning, a gentle climb into a quiet valley with mixed forests, hay meadows, and streams. You can observe beavers building their homes by the stream and, with a bit of luck, a black stork flying elegantly above the treetops. I didn't see any beavers, but I did see the black stork for a few seconds, and black kites spiraling upwards in circular motions in the sky. Magnificent flower meadows line the path – numerous butterflies fluttered here: Peacock butterfly, Checkered White, Large Cabbage White, Small Bullfinch, and other species. I also saw plenty of stinkhorns in the forest. However, with overcast skies and occasional light drizzle, the butterflies aren't visible in abundance. Halfway along the trail, you reach the Knieberg, which leads to another valley that is a nature reserve. Cattle graze peacefully there, and the stream meanders through quiet hay meadows to the Our. The further you venture into the valley, the quieter nature becomes. This tranquility is beautiful. Fortunately, there are plenty of places to sit and observe. Birdsong and the gurgling of the stream emerge from the undergrowth. The flowers along the path and the butterflies that ensnare them, the hay meadows, mixed forests, and streams create a lavish natural landscape for this place. Conclusion: From a natural perspective, this trail is certainly a pleasure. There are some very beautiful hiking trails in East Belgium, but with almost 95% gravel or asphalt, this one isn't exactly a hike. I stopped off in the village at the end and treated myself to an ice cream.

Very nice hike in Schönberg (the name says it all😀) under professional guidance by Wolfgang.

The tour starts in Schönberg, at the bridge over the Weberbach and goes towards camping. When the Großweberbach and Kleinweberbach meet, we keep to the left and follow the course of the creek - first past the pond, then over a field path, which then narrows as a path through the forest. Pure nature and certainly the first highlight of the tour. We cross the stream over two small bridges and then continue to the right over a gravel path. The route soon moves uphill in the direction of the 1000-year-old wind beech. It was already called that in my childhood and it was a long time ago. Before reaching the tree, our path turns right and we come to a pretty little lake. We continue on a path to the right, across the forest, until we follow a path up to the left. It ends as a clearing, which we cross until we come across another dirt road and follow it to the right. First we cross another path and get to the stream