Lichtenau – Trails, Water and History

Lichtenau combines experiences in nature with a history that reaches back far beyond individual centuries. The municipal area, with its 15 villages, lies entirely within the Teutoburg Forest/Egge Hills Nature Park. Highlights include varied hiking trails, a wetland with spring pools, monastery gardens and evidence of early settlement history. When planning your trip, it is worth exploring these different sides of the town.

Hiking Trails and Monastery Culture

A variety of hiking trails of different lengths lead through the diverse landscapes of the nature park around Dalheim Monastery. The Egge Trail, the Sintfeld Heights Trail and the Westphalia Hiking Trail also pass through or into the municipal area. If you would like to factor a specific distance into your plans: the Wilderer hiking trail starts at Gasthaus Engemann in Lichtenau-Kleinenberg, is about 19 kilometres long and forms a circular route. It starts in Kleinenberg and ends in the village centre. Check current trail conditions before setting out.

Dalheim Monastery is located directly on the Paderborn Countryside Route and can also be reached by bicycle from Lichtenau. In the Paderborn holiday region, this route links cultural and historical attractions with natural sights along a 250-kilometre circular route. The monastery includes around 20,000 square metres of gardens and 3,000 square metres of exhibition space. The combination of gardens and exhibition rooms gives a visit a different focus from hiking the trails around the monastery.

Village History and Places of Remembrance

In Atteln, the large Neolithic burial mounds already tell of a long history of settlement: they were built as communal tombs around 5,000 years ago. A community buried its dead there over several generations. A much more recent historical feature is the Atteln Spieker, a restored half-timbered house built in 1588 in the Weser Renaissance style. The former Blankenrode town castle is of particular archaeological significance. The Forester’s Cross commemorates foresters Gies and Steinsträter, who were shot dead by poachers in 1880.

The Amerungen Chapel also brings together architectural history and living tradition. The present-day chapel was built in 1669 by Prince-Bishop Ferdinand of Fürstenberg on the site of a ruined earlier church. Every year on the first Sunday in August, it is a destination for many pilgrims from the Soratgau and Sintfeld regions. If you would like to include this recurring event in your plans, check the date for the relevant year.

Water and Nature in Henglarn and Atteln

At the Henglarn Spring Garden, a wetland with typical vegetation and associated animal and plant species has developed around the spring pools. The central play area features water-play equipment, a footbath and arm baths. The footbath is available only during the summer months. In Henglarn, both the water-based activities and the distinctive landscape around the springs take centre stage.

The Altenautal natural swimming pool in Lichtenau-Atteln has a swimming area 25 metres long and 12.5 metres wide, as well as a separate non-swimmer area. The pool also has a playground, a toddler pool, a water slide and a gravel beach. As it is a seasonal facility, and operating times, opening hours and facilities may change, check the latest information before your visit.

Choose Accommodation Based on Your Interests

The attractions offer different experiences: hiking trails and nature-park landscapes sit alongside monastery culture, archaeological traces and places to enjoy the water. When looking for a holiday apartment in Lichtenau, it can therefore be helpful to first decide which themes you would like to shape your stay. Then consider the place names associated with them. This lets you tailor your search to your own interests in excursions, rather than reducing Lichtenau to a single attraction.

If you would like to explore more local pages, you can also find Husen.

Discover More Destinations

Herbram, Salzkotten, Hövelhof, Büren, Borchen, Delbrück, Bad Wünnenberg

For the overview of the wider region: Paderborn.