Dee at the Carlton: The pretty town of Monschau ...

I have wanted to visit the pretty western German border town of Monschau near the Belgian border for a long time. It is one of those amazing towns that are just so attractive & is a tourist destination. It is known as ‘The Pearl of the Eiffel’ region and time seems to have stood still for 300 years.

It is home to half timbered houses & cobbled streets & the Rur river running through its medieval town centre. It was first mentioned in 1198, the castle was established in the 12th century by the Dukes of Limburg. The town is known for its mustard, produced there for over 120 years.

The Red House / Das Rotes Haus was built in 1752, the house of a wealthy cloth merchant family of Scheibler family. It has a self supporting oak staircase which rises through the house to the 8th floor.

The Historische Altstadt in the heart of Monschau is made up of row upon row of beautiful half timber houses, some black & white, some with red details, all beautifully maintain
ed & so attractive & picturesque.

Eschbachstrasse & Kirchestrasse are some of the oldest streets - many of the pretty winding cobbled streets have interesting houses with lovely flower boxes, delicate bridges, steep streets,

Beautiful details, tall houses, built on to the river Rur as it flows through the town, a crisp morning with frost on the grey slate roofs.

A crisp, cold morning has beautiful corn blue skies that accentuated the shapes & colours of the buildings.

The historic town centre with the river Rur to the left as it winds its was past beautiful buildings.

The half timbered buildings follow the river Rur through town, they are supported by cantilevered wooden supports & everywhere, the gentle sound of the river as it babbles along ...

Monschau has a thriving Christmas market, but the entire town has beautiful & tasteful decorations everywhere - lovely pots with touches of Christmas, this car, lanterns etc .