From London to Berlin by Steam Train

The  ‘Boxelter Bahn’ was a famous international railroad track between Holland and Germany and cross the border only 2 miles from Viller the Garden. Passengers could enjoy a beautiful rural landscape between Gennep and Goch. One of them was Emperor Wilhelm II. 

London-Vlissingen-St. Petersburg

Travelers from London arrived by ship in Vlissingen (Flushing in the Netherlands) and continue their voyage over Gennep to Goch further through Germany. Most noteworthy is that some wagons had their final destination in Saint Petersburg. The German Emperor Wilhelm II used the railroad track to visit his Grandmother Queen Victoria. During world war II the Germans blew up two major railroad bridges over the rivers Maas and the Rhine. They were never rebuild and marked the end of this important line.

Landscape with heathers

Most stations are demolished and the infrastructure of railroad tracks are gone. A nice initiative of the municipal of Gennep and Goch is to lay out a bicycle path along this former track. On your bike, you are guided through a wonderful diverse landscape which features pastures, wood heather and small villages. The track between Gennep and the Dutch-German border is a beauty with patches of heather en wood on a relatively sandy soil.

First row: Heatherfields near Gennep/Stop at the top of the railway embankment

Second row:Farm near Uedemerbruch/Tunnel through embankment

Third row (plants on the embankment): bird’s feet trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)/policeman’s helmet (Impatiens glandulifera)

Easily traced on Google Earth

The railway embankment at Uedemerbruch is quite high and a former tunnel is still there. They even rebuild a stop although it resembles a poor replica of the original one. The whole former railroad track is a ribbon of trees and shrubs and can be easily traced on satellite images on Google Earth.

Former railroad track with its shrubs and trees is easily traceable in the middle of the map.

Viller the Garden is only 2 miles to the north.