This gps walk goes through the beautiful South Limburg hills. The route starts in the hamlet of Honthem and goes via paved and unpaved paths along fields and orchards to the hamlet of Bruisterbosch. Along the way you have beautiful views of the rolling landscape of the Margraten plateau without having to make many altimeters yourself. During the walk you will pass the American Cemetery Margraten. This cemetery contains a total of 8,301 Americans buried in as many graves. Two unknown soldiers are buried in one grave and one is empty. The body of PFC Joseph Fletcher Hill was returned to America on April 28, 2001.
Distance: 10 km.
Time: 2h30.
Grade: Easy.
Type: Circular.
Gps Track: Yes.
Route description: No.
Wheelchair: Not suitable.
Dog: Allowed.
Height gain: Flat.
Trail: Paved and unpaved.
Marking: None.
Hiking shoes recommended.
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American cemetery.
The walk starts in the hamlet of Honthem and mainly goes via paved and unpaved paths in the direction of Bruisterbosch. Along the way you have beautiful views and you walk through some hollow roads. In Margraten you can take a break for a snack or a drink. The last part of the route takes you to the impressive American cemetery of Margraten.
POI 1 - American Cemetery Margraten.
This impressive site of approximately 26.5 hectares is the only American military cemetery in the Netherlands. The Dutch government has given the land on perpetual loan to the US out of respect and gratitude. A total of 8,301 Americans are buried in as many graves. Two unknown soldiers are buried in one grave. A grave is empty. The body of PFC Joseph Fletcher Hill was returned to America on April 28, 2001 (after many and long-term requests from his daughter). Eleven American soldiers are buried in the Netherlands outside Margraten: eight in Opijnen, one in Rading cemetery in Nieuw-Loosdrecht, one in the old Protestant cemetery in the center of Zoetermeer and one victim of the Vietnam War at Rusthof cemetery in Leusden. The access road leads to the stairs of the square of honor. In front of the tower and the bronze memorial, a grieving mother, lies a pond in which the memorial is reflected. In the tower, more than 30 meters high and visible from afar, there is a chapel and a carillon. The visitor center is on the right-hand side of the square. On the left is a kind of museum chapel with three large maps, chiselled in travertine, with descriptions of the operations of the 1st US Army in the region during the Second World War. On the walls on either side of the square of honor, the Walls of the Missing, are the names of 1722 American missing persons who gave their lives. Names of missing persons who were later found and identified are provided with a rosette. The actual cemetery is located behind the tower. This is divided into sixteen sections (A to P), which are separated by a promenade and grass paths. The fallen who were buried there are equal in death. Officers and soldiers are mixed up and the white crosses on the graves are identical. Only the six recipients of a Medal of Honor have a deviating cross and the Jewish soldiers have a memorial with a Star of David. The promenade, flanked by trees, leads to a flagpole at the rear of the cemetery. The green short-cut grass and the use of pure white material (graves, the monument, stones) give it a neat and stately appearance. (Source: Wikipedia)
Liberation Route Europe.
www.liberationroute.com
