Brakel is a historic Hanseatic town. Brakel’s historic town centre includes a well-preserved marketplace with the historic town hall and the adjacent church square.
Culture
The Brakel Town Museum traces the development of the town from a Neolithic settlement in the Nethe Valley to the present day across around 100 square metres. Exhibits include archaeological finds, replicas of medieval documents, Baroque cut glass, agricultural equipment, paintings and town views. By prior arrangement, the town museum also offers programmes for children and adults, ranging from clay workshops to combined museum and town tours.
The Alte Waage exhibition hall presents changing exhibitions on art and regional history several times a year. The Hussar Museum in Rheder focuses on the Blue Hussars of Paderborn and Schloss Neuhaus from the mid-19th to the early 20th century. Open-air performances have been held in Bökendorf, a district of Brakel, for more than 50 years.
Nature
Rheder Palace Park was declared a nature reserve in 1949. As an English garden, it features streams, ponds, groups of trees and individual trees. The Weidenpalais in Brakel’s Rheder district is also permanently open to the public free of charge.
The Modexen Forest Experience School has equipment for learning about nature, including binocular microscopes, identification guides, bat detectors, nets and binoculars. The surrounding landscape of Brakel combines forests, fields and gentle hills, making it suitable for walking, hiking and cycling.
Hiking and Cycling
The Brakel Uplands Circular Hiking Trail comprises six independent circular hiking routes within the town of Brakel. Within the network, individual circular routes can be combined with connecting sections. These include a 23-kilometre loop that runs from Brakel via Istrup, Schmechten and Riesel back to Brakel.
Around Brakel, visitors will find small inns and cafés along the route.
Local Highlights
Brakel’s Rheder district is home to a brewery with more than 300 years of brewing tradition.
Anyone wishing to rent a holiday apartment can continue their search for accommodation in Bellersen.
