ALL THE OTHER STUFF

Witte Stein

Café De Grens at the Witte Stein excursion site. The white stone in the foreground is intended to replace the original that has disappeared.

A remarkable mixture of languages (‘witte’ Dutch for ‘white’ and ‘Stein’ German for ‘stone’), which shows very nicely that people on both sides of the border, which is no longer visible today, have always lived on a common piece of land. Where does the name come from? Some say it comes from a white boundary stone, others from the former meeting place of an early jurisdiction in the sense of a ‘wise stone’. The first explanation is supported by the fact that the ‘Grijze Stein’, a grey boundary stone between the former duchies of Jülich and Geldern, can still be found just 200 metres away. Incidentally, a beautiful forest path leads there, which is great for a warm-up run.

A total of six paths branch off from the Witte Stein, including the Prinsendijk, which was a Roman road 2,000 years ago. There are still some machine gun nests from the Second World War not far from our starting point. And as if that wasn’t enough, an official route of the Way of St James also passes our event location. As you can see, this is a place steeped in history in many respects.

Brüggen & Beesel

Since 2019, the two neighbouring municipalities have been united by an official municipal partnership. Many people are working hard to ensure that there is more and more in common. Kennedymarch*EU is one of them. We embody Europe!

But this was not always the case. When Europe was redivided after Napoleon’s Waterloo in 1815, the Meuse was supposed to become the border between Prussia and the United Netherlands. However, to prevent mutual attacks, the border was drawn one cannon shot away from the river. The so-called ‘cannon shot line’ within which all the Dutch parts of our marches take place. It’s funny how the state border up today follows the course of the river in a distance.

But the border, which was visible until 1995, has also had a positive effect. Today, the vast natural scenery of the Rhine-Meuse region is both an excursion and holiday destination. One step takes you from heathland to a gnarled beech forest, past rivers and lakes, across open meadows and into tranquil villages and historic towns. From the ducal castle of Brüggen to the ‘Drakendörp’ Beesel, we include many highlights in our routes.