Myhl combines nature trails with religious history: At St. John the Baptist Parish Church, the architectural design and dated church pews take centre stage, while the grotto on Justusberg is associated with a pilgrimage to Lourdes. Those who want to hike will find small trails and country lanes in the Myhler Schweiz. This gives you two different focal points for planning your trip, which you can prioritise according to your interests.
Church and grotto: religious history in two forms
St. John the Baptist Parish Church in Myhl is a three-aisled neo-Gothic brick church dating from 1877. Inside are a polygonal choir and individual church pews dated 1771. The years refer to different details: 1877 to the construction of the church, and 1771 to the dating of individual pews. “Polygonal” means having several sides and describes a specific shape of the choir. The church thus brings together its construction period, architecture and dated interior furnishings.
The grotto on Justusberg offers a different perspective on religious history. It houses a statue of the Virgin Mary, which the parish priest of Myhl at the time, Josef Sommer, brought back from a pilgrimage to Lourdes. The church and grotto offer different focal points: here, the neo-Gothic building and dated pews shape the story; there, the priest’s pilgrimage and the statue of the Virgin Mary. If you are interested in religious culture, you can consider these two focal points separately rather than treating them as a single attraction.
Hiking in the Myhler Schweiz
The Myhler Schweiz is designated as the “Myhler Bach” nature reserve. Small trails and country lanes cross the area and are suitable for hiking. The area’s natural character and appeal for hiking go hand in hand: its designation as a protected area reflects its conservation status, while the trails make it a suitable place for a hike. If you mainly want to spend time outdoors in Myhl, you can make the Myhler Schweiz the focus of your trip planning; the church and grotto offer a cultural counterpoint.
Myhl is also home to an official starting point for the Wassenberg hiking network, with an information board and a route map. The board and map help you find your way at the starting point and complement the small trails and country lanes with a direct connection to the hiking network. This distinction is useful when planning: the Myhler Schweiz describes the landscape and hiking area, while the official starting point provides orientation within the network.
Wetlands west of Myhl
The Myhler Bruch nature reserve lies west of Myhl. It comprises a diverse wetland habitat complex on both sides of the Myhler Bach. Numerous endangered animals and plants find habitats in its waters, marshes, reed beds and wet meadows. This adds another focal point to the area’s natural appeal: alongside the trails and country lanes suitable for hiking in the Myhler Schweiz, the Myhler Bruch is defined by its wetland habitats and their flora and fauna. If you compare natural areas by character, the difference is between hiking trails on the one hand and a diverse wetland habitat on the other.
Hiking trails in the wider Wassenberg destination
Across the wider Wassenberg destination, the hiking network includes more than 85 kilometres of trails, signposted in both directions. You can use around 66 junction points to plan your own hiking routes. The signposts and junction points serve different navigational purposes: the trails are marked in both directions, while the junction points help you put together a route independently.
Four Vital hiking trails run around Wassenberg centre. Their names and lengths can be compared directly:
- Judenbruch Vital Hiking Trail: 2.3 km
- Myhler Schweiz Vital Hiking Trail: 4.5 km
- PĂĽtzchenroute Vital Hiking Trail: 6.3 km
- Bergfriedroute Vital Hiking Trail: 8.0 km
The stated lengths range from 2.3 to 8.0 km. At 4.5 km, the Myhler Schweiz Vital Hiking Trail falls between the Judenbruch trail and the two longer routes. This lets you choose by distance in the wider Wassenberg destination without confusing these routes with the official starting point in Myhl.
View the wider travel overview: Wassenberg.
