District Town of Euskirchen
The first written record dates back to the Treaty of Euskirchen Meersen as "Augstchir-che" (probably for: Church in the meadow) from the year 870.
Euskirchen has been in possession of the town charter since 1302 and celebrated the 700th anniversary of the town status with many events in 2002. In 1827 Euskirchen became the district center of an entire region.
The present day town, with its population of 56,000, is in constant upward development including numerous central service institutions to cover a population of more than 100,000.
The mixture of preserved history and modern shopping town character is the appeal of the town. Parts of the old town wall and three of the towers that were formerly part of the town fortification stand side by side with modern architecture. Three conveniently located multi-storey car parks as well as many parking lots make it easy for motorized visitors to park their vehicles centrally. In addition, the city bus service provides the possibility to use public transport instead, giving non-motorized people the desired mo-bility.
Within the medieval town walls, the pedestrian area with major department stores, nu-merous retail shops and cafes, some of which have been in business for generations, have helped develop the good reputation of the town as a shopping center.
Euskirchen invites to stroll, shop, and relax between “Alter Markt” (Old Market) and the train station.
Euskirchen also has a lot to offer culturally. In particular, the “Kulturhof” (library, muse-um) and “Kunstmeile” (Art Mile) Kölnerstraße present special cultural highlights.
The metropolitan area of Euskirchen is one of the regions of Germany with the most moated castles. Twelve castles are located around the town. No two castles are alike: They are ruins, medieval remains of the medieval converted into Baroque castles or preserved as monumental medieval testimonies. Apart from “Hardtburg” all castles are privately owned and can only be visited in the framework of special events such as the Euskirchen Castle Tour.
A well-developed network of cycle paths through the District town of Euskirchen, the member of the Association Bicycle Friendly Cities and Municipalities in NRW, allows an easy exploration of the area by bicycle.
The Erft Cycle Path and the moated castles route also pass through Euskirchen and are signposted accordingly. Activities such as hiking and walking are ideal on the Ro-man Canal Trail and in the woods around Euskirchen. In particular, the vast forest area around the “Steinbachtalsperre and Madbachtalsperre” (Steinbach dam and Marbach dam) is ideal for those seeking relaxation.
Relaxation pure is guaranteed when visiting the “Therme Euskirchen” (indoor pool / spa). A Palm Paradise, Thermal bath and 10 thematic saunas guarantee a break from everyday life.
To make a journey into the past, you do not need a time machine. This fascinating ex-perience is provided by a visit to the Euskirchen LVR-Industrial Museum, the former cloth factory Mueller in Euskirchen- Kuchenheim. Here you can travel back many de-cades. The factory was founded in 1894, and when the business of the Müller cloth factory deteriorated in 1961 the owners simply locked the gates and left everything standing as it was on the last day of work.
Information about Euskirchen and the northern Eifel region are available at the Tourist Information in the customer center of the (Stadtverkehr Euskirchen SVE) (city traffic Euskirchen) at the railway station in Euskirchen. The Cycle and Hike train station Eus-kirchen is the ideal starting and finishing point for hiking and cycling.