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Here you are standing at a special piece of history and the oldest aviation monument in the Netherlands. In 1871, a French balloon landed here that had risen a little from the then besieged Paris. The balloon was intended to keep in touch with the non-besieged part of France, but was blown in a different direction by an air current. The crew, who also had secret mail and a few bottles of wine on board, decided to land in the safe Netherlands, after which they continued their journey to their original destination as soon as possible to deliver the secret mail. As a reminder of this historic event, this balloon column was unveiled in 1896.

Sculpture in honor of the 5x11 anniversary of the Zagewetters. Source: https://dezageletters.nl/

We enjoy the coolness of the shady forest stretches, cross the Ballonzuilbossen, the Zandbos and the Brouwhuissche Heide, leaving the towns in all directions beside the route.

Here you can take a nice break and study the map of the various trails.

The balloon column, the oldest aviation monument in the Netherlands. On 18 January 1871, a (helium) balloon landed on the heathlands north of Merselo. The balloon had taken off in Paris. At that time, Paris was besieged by Prussian troops and was cut off from the outside world. By launching balloons, contact could be maintained with the unoccupied part of France. However, one of these balloons ended up in a higher air layer and therefore drifted in a northeasterly direction. The balloon had a diameter of 10 metres and was 25 metres high. On board, in addition to the three-man crew, was secret correspondence for the French government, which had fled to Bordeaux. Furthermore, 150 kilos of letters and parcels, 3 carrier pigeons and 4 bottles of wine. The balloon descended in Merselo. When the French heard from the farmers that they were in the Netherlands, they felt safe and released all the gas. They said that they had taken off from Paris at 3 a.m. the previous night and that they wanted to travel to Maastricht by train as quickly as possible, so that they could continue their journey from there. After all, they had to deliver the secret correspondence to Minister Gambetta. After eating a meal, the three Frenchmen were taken to the station with the diligence and left for Maastricht with the folded balloon and all. As a farewell, the mayor received 100 francs for the poor in Venray. On 18 January 1896, 25 years after the landing, the balloon column was unveiled in the middle of the heath in memory. The small square obelisk now stands on a raised platform, surrounded by trees, and is the oldest aviation monument in the Netherlands. Source: https://www.visitnoordlimburg.nl/nl/luchtvaartmonument-de-ballonzuil