Wald- und Wiesenroute

The historic old town of Bad Salzuflen has a lot to offer. The city's most striking landmark is the unique gradierwerk complex, one of the largest open-air inhalation facilities in Germany. The walkable experiential gradierwerk houses several special features. Inside, there is a brine mist chamber where visitors can deeply breathe in healthy salty air. The viewing platform offers a beautiful view over the town and the spa park. The nearby Salzhof, surrounded by picturesque half-timbered houses, invites visitors to linger. The fountain monument of the Pauline spring, the oldest spring in the town, commemorates the former saltworks. Nature lovers will fully enjoy the 120-hectare spa park and landscape garden. Special attractions in the landscape garden are the game enclosure with its fallow deer and the aviary with numerous bird species. The extensive park with its colorful blooms, old trees and large spa lake offers much variety. Just a few pedal strokes away lies the Hortus Vitalis adventure park. A pétanque lane, outdoor chess, interesting water features and a large playground provide fun for young and old. The main attraction is the largest classic hedge maze on the European mainland, covering 5,400 sqm. The path to the viewing platform can be up to 2,300 meters long – the clever visitor can reach the goal after only 160 meters. Sightseeing in Herford The total 3.5-km-long rampart in Herford is surrounded by the forest and meadow route around Herford’s historic town centre. Short detours into the city offer plenty of opportunities for historical and cultural explorations. On Brüderstraße, reminiscent of the former Augustinian monastery, are numerous half-timbered buildings. The house 'Brüderstraße 26', built in 1521 by Heinrich Aldach, known as Remensnider, is considered the most artistically rich late Gothic half-timbered house in Westphalia. In the immediate vicinity lies the Neuer Markt, characterized by half-timbered and Renaissance architecture. The Gothic hall church of St. Johannis on Neuer Markt is the parish church of the Herford new town founded around 1220 and impresses especially with its stained glass windows, some of the oldest in Westphalia. From the Alten Markt via Münsterkirchplatz, you reach the Herford Münster. Built from 1220 under Abbess Gertrud II. zur Lippe, the church of the immediate imperial women’s abbey is Herford’s original parish church. Along the rampart at the height of the Aawiesenpark, the route passes directly by the Daniel-Pöppelmann-Haus. The adjoining exhibition hall from the 1970s houses the seat and exhibitions of the Herford Art Association. Outward bound on the rampart, the route passes the region’s landmark, the Wittekind Monument. The Wittekind Monument on Wilhelmsplatz commemorates the great opponent of Charlemagne, Wittekind (or Widukind). In the middle of the urban forest Stuckenberg, the Herford Bismarck Tower, with its 23 m height, promises a beautiful panoramic view of the region.