Luxembourg has changed its mind twice

The full sequence, because almost nobody lays it out:

• Until 1952: Napoléonsgaard, 547 m, in the canton of Redange, was considered the highest point in Luxembourg.

• 1952: Buurgplaatz, 559 m, was declared the highest point by the national geographic institute. A plaque went up.

• 1997: Kneiff, 560 m, was found by GPS survey to be one metre higher.

The Buurgplaatz plaque is still there. So is the tower, the US memorial and the signage. Kneiff, the actual answer, has a white marker on the ground and not much else.

Which means the highest point in Luxembourg is still widely reported as the wrong hill, by guidebooks, by signage on site, and by a good number of people who've been there.

One metre.

What's actually at each one

Kneiff. A hill in farmland near Wilwerdange, with a white spot marking the high point. Some evergreens, a large oak, and a lot of countryside. You can park by the road right next to it. There's essentially nothing there, and that's part of the appeal.

Buurgplaatz. About a kilometre away, near Huldange. It has the observation tower, a United States memorial from the Second World War, a wooden sign giving the name and height, and the 1952 declaration plaque. Better views, better facilities, wrong hill.

The obvious move is to do both. It's a short, flat walk or a two-minute drive between them, roughly 3.7 km and 45 minutes if you walk the loop.

This part of the Ardennes saw heavy fighting in both world wars, which is why the memorial is where it is.

Running 50 km from Belgium

The reason I came here on foot.

I ran from Signal de Botrange (694 m), the highest point in Belgium, to Kneiff. Roughly 50 km, carrying about 4 kg including two litres of water, navigating on Google Maps, with a hard 4pm cutoff before forecast thunderstorms.

The longest I'd run before was 23 km.

What I'd tell anyone thinking about it:

• Google said 45 km. With two deliberate detours onto nicer trails and one backtrack away from a motorway, it came out around 50.

• Resupply is the problem. St. Vith is roughly halfway and the only realistic stop. Shops in rural Belgium can be closed on a Saturday. I arrived out of water to find everything shut and got lucky with one supermarket.

• There are many more hills than you expect. The Ardennes profile between these two points is not what the map implies.

• Check the entire route for motorway sections before you set off, not just the next turn.

• Getting back is a second expedition. From Kneiff I walked several more kilometres to the nearest town, took a bus to a smaller town where everything food-related was closed, ate out of a vending machine for three hours, then took a train, a bus and another train back to Brussels, arriving at 10pm. Plan your exit before your entry.

The high point itself is a white mark in a field. The run is what made it mean something.

Getting there normally

By car: you can drive to both Kneiff and Buurgplaatz, with parking beside the road at each. Nearest villages are Wilwerdange and Huldange.

By public transport: thin. Troisvierges has a railway station on the northern line, and from there it's a bus or a taxi, with limited services. Check timetables carefully and don't assume a Sunday service exists.

Combining with neighbours: Kneiff sits near the tripoint with Belgium and Germany. Signal de Botrange, the highest point in Belgium, is about 50 minutes' drive, and Vaalserberg in the Netherlands about 50 minutes beyond that. The three of them in one day is a well-worn route.

Frequently asked questions

What is the highest point in Luxembourg?

Kneiff, at 560 m, in the commune of Troisvierges in the northern Ardennes.

Isn't Buurgplaatz the highest point in Luxembourg?

No, and this is the most common error about Luxembourg's geography. Buurgplaatz was declared the highest point in 1952 and lost the title in 1997 when a GPS survey found Kneiff to be one metre higher. The old plaque is still on Buurgplaatz.

How much higher is Kneiff than Buurgplaatz?

One metre. Kneiff is 560 m, Buurgplaatz 559 m.

What was the highest point in Luxembourg before Buurgplaatz?

Napoléonsgaard, at 547 m, in the canton of Redange, until 1952.

Is Kneiff marked?

Only by a white spot on the ground. Buurgplaatz, the lower hill, has the sign, the tower and the memorial.

Can you drive to Kneiff?

Yes. There's roadside parking right beside it.

How hard is it to reach?

It isn't. It's a flat walk of a few hundred metres from the road. The walking loop taking in both hills is around 3.7 km.

Do you need a permit?

No.

How far is Kneiff from the highest point in Belgium?

About 50 minutes by car, or roughly 50 km on foot.

Can you visit the highest points of Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands in one day?

Yes. Kneiff, Signal de Botrange (694 m) and Vaalserberg (322 m) are each roughly 50 minutes apart by car.

Why is there a US memorial at Buurgplaatz?

The northern Ardennes saw significant fighting in the Second World War, and the memorial commemorates it.

Peak 25 of The Peak Project: climbing the highest point in every country in Europe. The halfway point.