Schoenfels, Duerf

The hamlet of Schoenfels is first mentioned by the name of Scindalasheim in a deed of 846 as a gift by Bishop Hetto of Trier to Abbot Marcuardus of Prüm. In the 12th Century a person by the name of Theodorius of Schonevels is known. In 1292, before the invention of artillery, a fortified farm (primitive castle) was erected by a certain Ferri, aka Frederic of Schoenfels. It passed by marriage to the lords of Ansembourg, and later to the Sassenheims. In the early 16th Century, Henry Schloeder von Lachen, Lord of Schoenfels and Busbach, acquired the estate. The Schloeder von Lachen coat of arms decorates the entrance to the tower. The feudal castle of Schoenfels -of no great strategic value- was stripped of its fortifications by the French Army in 1683... At present the renovation of the tower is underway. The plan is to install a visitor centre as well as a Water & Forestry Museum.

This hilly route connects the valley of the Mamer with that of the Eisch, passing Claushaff and around the Buerggruef. It crosses the natural Mierscherwald. Highlights of this circular route are the Mammerleen, an area with natural sandstone caves and a network of artificial tunnels, as well as Schönfels Castle at the starting point of the hiking trail. While the Auto-pédestre circular routes can be explored in both directions, the recommended direction for this path is clockwise.

A unique cave system can be found in the forest between Mersch and Keispelt. The Mamerleeën consists of natural sandstone caves as well as a large network of artificial tunnels located just under the surface of the ground. This set of caves and tunnels reach up to the Huellay in the south, over one thousand metres in the north, towards Mersch. From Claushaff, it is easy to access the caves by foot.