If you want to be in three countries in European countries at once, just go to the border triangle or tripoint near Aachen. When you stand at that point, you will be in Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium.
Hello traveller,
Countries on the European continent border each other. One country can border more than one neighbouring country. Germany is an example.
This country borders Denmark to the north. To the east, Germany neighbours Poland and the Czech Republic. Austria and Switzerland border Germany to the south. To the west and southwest, the country neighbours the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France.
Interesting, isn’t it?
This is an advantage for travellers like me. Living in Germany, which borders nine other countries, makes it easier for me to go on holiday abroad. The distances feel much closer. There are also more choices of neighbouring countries to choose from as holiday destinations.
The existence of borders with several countries, also more than two countries, means that there is a meeting point where more countries meet. One of the most famous points which my family and I have visited is located near Aachen.
Location
The location of the border triangle Aachen is in Vaals. If you want to write the address in your car navigation address, you can write Viergrenzenweg 47, 6291 Vaals.
If you look at the satellite photo below, you can see that the open places visited by tourists are mainly in the Netherlands and Belgium. The area that is German territory as shown in the picture is forest.
This does not mean that people cannot visit the German territory. The forest is also passable for those who like to go hiking. One of the internet sources mentioned that the forest provides several hiking routes that can be travelled by anyone.
Utrecht: The Railway Museum.
Our Experience
When we went there in 2020, we had to pass through the forest. The question is why we did not use the normal roads or public transport?
So, at that time we rented a car. My husband did not think that we would cross the German border. He did not report to the rental agent about it. He realised that we had to cross the border to get into the area and parked in Dutch territory when we arrived in Aachen. Worried that something might happen if we crossed the border without reporting first, my husband opted to find another, safer way.
Therefore, my husband had the idea to park in the area closest to the Border Triangle area which was still German territory. From there, we continued our journey on foot.
What we thought would be a short journey turned out to be an adventurous one. It was a long walk through the forest. Luckily, there were directions and we were also helped by Google Maps. We kept walking until we could see the stone that symbolized the meeting point of the three country borders.
Germany: Metronom, Regional Train.
The Border Triangle Aachen
To mark the point where the borders of the three countries meet, they placed a large stone at that point. On the side of the stone are three country codes that indicate which country it belongs to. The three country codes are:
- D is the country code for Germany, which is called Deutschland in German
- NL is the code for the Netherlands
- B is the country code for Belgium
Surrounding the stone is a large diameter green circle. Inside this circle is a line indicating the country’s border. The side of the stone with the country code faces the area divided by the line according to the respective country.
If you want to take pictures at this spot, please be prepared for the waiting line. When we came to this spot, the queue was not long. We only waited for about a few minutes. We were lucky. It was still during the pandemic so not many people came here during the pandemic.
If you look at the photo above, you will see the large stone along with their border lines. Behind the stone, three country flags were flying as a sign that their borders meet in this area. This is the best photo spot to document your presence here.
Germany: Holiday in Germany.
The Flag in the Border Triangle Aachen
One source on the internet mentioned that these flags were not always there. There are certain times when there are no flags, such as during winter.
If you come to this place with children, it can be a place to learn and play. It can be used as a guessing game. The children or the parents should guess where they stand at the moment. It was fun.
Happy travelling,
Amelia
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