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Just behind Roermond, near the German border, is De Meinweg National Park. Here you will find a unique piece of nature by Dutch standards. You will also drive through some Central Limburg church villages and take a trip to some German villages that are located in a rural area.

Blown up churches
In 1945, the Germans blew up the church towers in Vlodrop and Herkenbosch because they could serve as landmarks. Both churches were severely damaged and were rebuilt, with the thirteenth-century choir of the St. Sebastianus Church in Herkenbosch being spared. The St. Andrew's Church in Melick was completely destroyed and rebuilt at a new location (on the Markt). In the Hoofdstraat in Herkenbosch you also drive past Listening Spot 210 from the Liberation Route.

The Meinweg
De Meinweg National Park is known for its unique terraced landscape. These terraces were created over tens of thousands of years by the erosion of the Meuse and three fault lines in the earth's crust. Here you cycle through dense forests, stream valleys and heathland. This is the only area in Limburg where you will find the viper, you may even see it sunbathing.

Vlodrop Station
Central Limburg has a rich history. Just south of Boukoul, for example, you will pass Zuidewijk Spick, a beautiful castle farm from the seventeenth century. North of Vlodrop you pass the Vlodroppermolen, a watermill from 1875. This is located just before the mouth of the Rothenbach in the Roer. Vlodrop-Station is a hamlet that was once located on the Iron Rhine, the former railway between Antwerp and Mönchengladbach. Until February 2015, you could see the famous College Sint Ludwig at junction 95. Originally this was a Franciscan monastery and boarding school. In 1990, guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi from India moved into the complex. After years of vacancy, the monastery was finally demolished.