Destination report Ostwestfalen-Lippe & Weserbergland: Decelerate with Angela Merkel & Grimm's fairy tales in the Weserbergland {Reader's travel tip}

In the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, East Westphalia Lippe and Weser Uplands inspire with great views and famous visitors from Angela Merkel to the Brothers Grimm.

Perfect for relaxing and decelerating

The first stage of my journey took me to the Kneipp spa in Bad Wünnenberg on Saturday. Bad Wünnenberg not only has the highest elevation in the region at 489 meters, but is also the perfect place to relax, to give body and soul some time and relaxation and to recharge your batteries.

Bad Wünnenberg scores among others with its very beautiful hilly landscape at the foothills of the Sauerland, the Aatal with the Aatal lock and the spa park, the barefoot path, a newly renovated outdoor pool and a large cycling and hiking network.

Kneipp offers in Bad Wünnenberg

The focus is on the "Kneipp" theme. In Bad Wünnenberg there are a total of seven pedal pools along the Kneipp spa routes and in the districts, some with arm pools. Two are water treading points in the river and there are two streams on the barefoot path that can be crossed.

The holistic Kneipp offers are composed of various factors. It aims to bring body, mind and soul in harmony - taking into account the five classic Kneipp pillars of water, nutrition, medicinal plants, exercise and lifestyle.

Rendezvous with Kneipp

It has been proven to serve the Prävention and resilience. The inner balance is strengthened and one can deal with the problems and the Stress cope better with everyday life.

The city of Bad Wünnenberg has along with three sports scientists and spa doctor Dr. Huber has developed various programs for you, which have the motto “Rendezvous with Kneipp”. They contain active ingredients, such as a visit to the barefoot path, as well as food after Kneipp, relaxation training - of course, treading water should not be missing.

Program with trained experts

All program items are taken over by specially trained experts. There are already partnerships with hotels and restaurants that serve Kneipp food and use Kneippfacilities equipped.

This Saturday at the program item Walk in Balance by the sports scientist and non-medical practitioner Sandra Kottkamp. It consists of a walking session in the forest, which is particularly refreshing in this heat. The aim here was to try out different running styles and breathing. This was followed by a unit with progressive muscle relaxation according to Jacobsen.

Meditation in the woods

The highlight was a meditation exercise in the forest, after which the participants went individually on a meditative Nordic Walking Tour. At the end, followed by a beautiful view, a relaxation exercise followed by a massage and a healthy lunch.

I was very excited about the event because it was a relatively easy way to achieve a great, relaxing effect. This is a program that you could do well in the lunch break, for example, to get down in a stressful job, because you need little resources.

UNESCO World Heritage Site Corvey

In the afternoon I continued to relax: I visited the UNESCO World Heritage site of Corvey, a former Benedictine abbey directly on the Weser in what is now the city of Höxter. UNESCO awarded the Westwerk of the Catholic Church and the Civitas Corvey in June 2014 Status a world heritage site.

The relaxed, quiet atmosphere of Corvey I really liked: 80.000 visitors come to Corvey every year, but you notice in the spacious monastery complex even groups and has enough peace, the rooms to explore. The only drawback for me was that the gardens are not accessible to visitors.

The story of Corvey

Corvey is also historically very interesting: the foundation stone of the church was laid in 822, the abbey developed into an important Carolingian monastery in the 9th and 10th centuries, it had one of the most valuable libraries in the country, and numerous bishops emerged from the abbey .

After a phase of Crisis Corvey became a reform monastery in the 11th century. The Thirty Years' War led to the sinking of the Carolingian abbey church. With the exception of the western work, the church was demolished in 1665. From the late 17th century, however, the church and the monastery buildings were rebuilt in the Style of the baroque.

Events in historical surroundings

Since secularization in 1803, Corvey is no longer a monastery, but owned by the Dukes of Racibórz and Princes of Corvey. In today's castle, the Duke, together with the city and the district, has set up a museum with a cultural program of events including concerts and exhibitions.

In addition, the historical rooms can be rented for modern meetings. The baroque residence has 5 conference and seminar rooms from 120 to 250 square meters for 10 to 300 people. All rooms have daylight, are furnished according to the respective requirements and equipped with the desired conference technology.

Conferences in the Imperial Hall or in the Refectory

Outstanding are the 230 square meter Imperial Hall, the name of which comes from the images of the emperor in the medallions and the images of the donors of Charlemagne and Louis the Pious on the front sides. It served the abbots for representation purposes, here the abbot received high-ranking personalities as the imperial prince. Unfortunately the room cannot be heated.

Located on the first floor of the former convent building, the 178 square meter refectory was originally the baroque abbey's dining room. Today, events can be booked here in both the summer and winter months, as heatable ones Alternatives to the Kaisersaal.

Top hotels in Bielefeld

Day two of my stay in the Teutoblogger WG took me to the Weserbergland - and at a quite unusual time for a Sunday at 7 in the morning.

It was a bit difficult, not only because we had dinner with gin tasting in Bielefeld the evening before - in Bielefeld's best hotel, the Legere, which can be booked for events and that in his bed and breakfast- Offshoot Charlie's House offers one of the fewer self-check-ins in Germany.

But also because the Mecure Hotel, where our Teutoblogger shared apartment was, is very nice with a terrace on a mountain, but it is therefore also a little difficult to reach the hotel at night with public transport. Nevertheless, the 4 star hotel is recommended for its very good service for meetings.

The Weserbergland

Be that as it may, I took the train to Altenbeken at 7 a.m. and was picked up there and taken to Beverungen. For me, this circumstance causes the problem in this region with regard to accessibility by public transport clear: Getting to Beverungen on time would have been quite complicated and the journey to nearby Bad Karlshafen would have been more than detours, but more on that in a moment.

First a word about the region: According to Wikipedia, the Weser Uplands are up to 527,8 m above sea level. NHN high low mountain range on both sides of the Weser between Hann. Münden and Porta Westfalica. The town of Beverungen, with a population of 14.000, is in this region. I found the special construction of this region exciting. Between 1520 and 1640, the so-called Weser Renaissance, a large accumulation of Renaissance architecture, was created here.

The Korbmacher Museum in Beverungen Dalhausen

Since it was now pouring as from buckets, my first stop was the Korbmacher Museum in Beverungen Dalhausen. Because the basket maker craft looks back on a long tradition here and can essentially be traced back to the year 1800, when, after the dissolution of the guild regulations, the operation of handicrafts was also permitted outside the cities.

At that time, about 30% of the inhabitants were in this Job active, by the year 1900 this proportion had risen to around 90%. In 1900 the first wickerwork factory was set up with 70 workers, in 1909 a cooperative factory through the merger of 30 independent master craftsmen, in 1919 the association was converted into a GmbH. The increased emigration to North America around 1860 led to Foundation several wicker furniture manufacturers by Dalhauser basket makers in New York.

Baskets weave with Angela Merkel

Since 1994 there is now a separate basket maker museum in Dalhausen. On 400 square meters, the craft of the basket maker is explained in twelve rooms. The exhibits include transport and travel baskets, pigeon and laundry baskets, braided balloon bottles, children's sleeping baskets and bicycle child seats. The museum is affiliated with a workshop in which a couple demonstrates the craft of the basket maker. The products can also be purchased there. There is also a seminar room, which is used for basketball lessons and can also be booked by group.

During my visit, I also get to know 80-year-old Gerhard Ewerling, who embodies the “basket maker with a cry”, a figure that represents the Dalhausen basket-maker craft. In 2017, he also met Angela Merkel at an event in Beverungen.

The Weser fleet

Shortly thereafter, I drive on a ship of the fleet Weser from Bad Karlshafen to Herstelle / Würgassen. Nine ships comprise the fleet, which runs once a day from Bad Karlshafen down the Weser. By the way, in rainy weather a good alternative, if cycling on the Weser cycle path or hiking is too humid.

Groups can unscheduled book the ships for events that Companys then make a special catering available.

The fairy tale land of the Brothers Grimm

As soon as I get out, I notice Burg Herstelle up on the mountain. Renowned poets and artists met here in the 19th century, including Annette von Droste-Hülshoff and the Brothers Grimm. It is therefore not surprising that some of the most well-known Story of the Brothers Grimm, such as Snow White, who is said to have played in Alfeld, Rapunzel, who is said to have let her long hair down to her prince from a tower in Trendelburg, or Sleeping Beauty, whose castle is believed to be the ruins of Sababurg near Hofgeismar.

The Pied Piper from Hameln, the “Lügenbaron” Karl Friedrich Hieronymus von Münchhausen from Bodenwerder and the Hann. Münden deceased German craft surgeon and surgeon Doctor Eisenbarth.

Abbey of Herstelle

Right next to the castle Herstelle is the Benedictine Abbey of the Holy Cross Herstelle, which can also be visited by groups or individuals in search of peace and contemplation. Originally the monastery was built for the Franciscans since the 17. Century had taken over the pastoral care in Herstelle.

It was abolished in the course of secularization; the buildings had been empty since 1824 and were gradually falling into disrepair. It was not until 1899 that the monastery was repopulated by the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration from Peppingen (Luxembourg).

The Weser skywalk

Directly opposite is the Weser-Skywalk, a viewing platform erected in 2011 four meters above the cliff edge and made of galvanized steel.

The controversial in the population Skywalk is located on the easternmost of the seven Hanoverian cliffs (Weser sandstone) rising between the villages Würgassen and Bad Karlshafen in up to 80 m above the Weser. Fantastic view of the upper Weser valley guaranteed.

Beverungen

In Beverungen there are also other locations that can be booked for events, such as the town hall or the Cordt-Holstein-Haus from 1662, which survived the Thirty Years' War unscathed.

Or the restaurant, cafe and hotel zur Alten Linde at the ferry landing stage in Beverungen-Würgassen, which offers very good home-style cooking, even for vegetarians.

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