Discover Madfeld: History and Trails

Madfeld combines historical landmarks with nature and hiking experiences. Between the Jewish cemetery, old trail markers, forest and Aabach, you’ll find various starting points for planning your trip. The trails also offer different highlights: you can choose a circular hiking trail through the forests, include the Eschker Holz nature reserve, or explore a regional cycling tour.

Madfeld’s history and distinctive landmarks

Madfeld’s Jewish cemetery was established around the middle of the 18th century. It contains 39 gravestones and is also the largest Jewish cemetery in the former district of Brilon. Its history gives the town a distinctive cultural landmark. The old forest barn is another historical landmark in Madfeld: it was built around 1850.

Pottricks Kreuz is a historicist wayside cross on Bleiwäscher Straße between Madfeld and Bleiwäsche. Another distinctive landmark is the Millenium Gate, built in 2011 to mark Madfeld’s thousandth anniversary. Picnic benches at the gate invite hikers to take a break. Village signs in Madfeld point to the town’s history. They were created in collaboration with the Briloner Heimatbund – Semper Idem and funded as part of a LEADER project.

Nature between meadow, forest and Aabach

The Hemmeker Bruch nature reserve lies north of Madfeld. It is a damp hollow in Madfeld slate country, used as grassland. This landscape differs from the forest sections along the local hiking trails and offers its own connection with nature. There are three groups of benches in Madfeld’s community forest, where you can watch the sunsets depending on the season.

At the Aabach in Madfeld, a five-metre-long and 1.3-metre-wide oak bridge crosses the stream. As a small structure by the water, it complements Madfeld’s larger landscape features. The Brüggepark multi-generational park is intended as a playground and a meeting place for public events.

Hiking trails and cycling tours

The Brilon–Madfeld circular hiking trail (M3) is 9.83 kilometres long. It leads through the forests around Madfeld, via Kelleker Holz, Liebfrauenberg and Brautlicht. You can reach the M3 from the Kelleker Holz hiking car park or by taking bus 483 to the Tiefer Weg stop.

Another Madfeld circular hiking trail, the M2, passes through the Eschker Holz nature reserve. When choosing between the two trails, you can use the features mentioned as a guide: for the M3, the length, forest route and individual waypoints are specified; for the M2, its route through the protected area is the defining feature. A regional cycling tour offers a different perspective. Tour 4 runs from Brilon via Obermarsberg and Madfeld, back to Brilon.

Brilon as a destination for culture and landscapes

The wider Brilon destination offers other distinct themes. Brilon’s town hall was built around 1250, has a Baroque façade and is considered one of Germany’s oldest town halls. The Haus Hövener City Museum is in the centre of Brilon, right on the market square. The building has largely been preserved in its 1910 condition. The museum displays original Iguanodon bones discovered in 1978 in a quarry near Brilon-Nehden; an interactive town model offers insights into life in Brilon in past centuries.

Brilon’s landscape can also be explored in other ways. The Brilon Geological Trail is an approximately eight-kilometre themed route featuring geological transitions and panoramic views. One highlight is an observation platform on the 634-metre-high Bilstein spoil heap. If you’re particularly interested in hiking trails, both the certified Rothaarsteig and the certified Briloner Kammweg start at Brilon’s market square. The Briloner Schnadezug adds a cultural dimension: it has been documented as a boundary walk since 1388 and has a tradition spanning more than 620 years.

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Discover more destinations

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