Hürtgenwald

Hürtgenwald
Coat of arms
Hürtgenwald
Location of Hürtgenwald within Düren district
Coordinates: 50°42′36″N 06°22′28″E / 50.71000°N 6.37444°E / 50.71000; 6.37444Coordinates: 50°42′36″N 06°22′28″E / 50.71000°N 6.37444°E / 50.71000; 6.37444
Country	Germany
State	North Rhine-Westphalia
Admin. region	Köln
District	Düren
Government
• Mayor	Axel Buch (CDU)
Area
• Total	88.05 km2 (34.00 sq mi)
Elevation	300 m (1,000 ft)
Population (2015-12-31)
• Total	8,780
• Density	100/km2 (260/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	52393
Dialling codes	02429
Vehicle registration	DN
Website	www.huertgenwald.de

Hürtgenwald is a municipality in the district of Düren in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the Eifel hills, approx. 15 km south-west of Düren. Much of the area is covered by forest (Hürtgenwald in literal translation means Hürtgen Forest).

Hürtgenwald is composed of the villages Bergstein, Brandenberg, Gey, Großhau, Horm, Hürtgen, Kleinhau, Raffelsbrand, Schafberg, Simonskall, Strass, Vossenack and Zerkall (in alphabetical order). Kleinhau with the town hall is not only the administrational center of the community, but has become the commercial center as well (shops and a few supermarkets).

In World War II, Hürtgenwald was the theater of what is considered one of the most fierce and tragic battles to date. Two large war graves (one in Hürtgen, one in Vossenack) are places to commemorate those who fell.

Nowadays, the pleasing landscape of forested hills, lakes and rivers attracts a lot of people from nearby densely populated areas, e.g. from the Cologne area and the Ruhr Area, for recreational reasons.