Nehden: Dinosaur Tracks and Village History

Nehden combines Cretaceous Iguanodon themes with a long village history and hiking routes through the surrounding area. To plan your trip, you can choose a focus on dinosaur tracks, a longer circular hiking trail, or regional discoveries in the wider destination of Brilon. St. John’s Chapel and the village’s history complement the prehistoric themes with a glimpse into Nehden’s later past.

Dinosaur Tracks and Iguanodon Themes

“DinoSpuren Nehden” offers a 360° panorama that you can view on your smartphone. It shows the habitat of Iguanodons in the Cretaceous period. This puts the focus not only on the animal itself, but also on the world it lived in. At Dinopark Nehden, a digital dinosaur route combines augmented reality with a circular trail. Opened on September 7, 2024, the route uses QR-code registration; along the way, information, games and quizzes about Iguanodon alternate.

The wider destination of Brilon also offers the family-friendly DinoSpuren themed circular trail in Brilon-Nehden. It is about 800 metres long and has no strenuous climbs. If you are travelling with children, you can compare this short circular trail with a much longer hike. The two routes offer different time and activity levels without taking you away from the Iguanodon themes.

Hikes for Different Time Frames

Two hiking routes have been developed in Nehden. They take in local sights, the tranquillity of the forests, viewpoints and the history of the area from the Cretaceous period to the present day. One specific option is the “Brilon-Nehden (N1)” circular hiking trail: it is 8.9 kilometres long, takes about 2 hours and 20 minutes, and includes 151 metres of elevation gain and 151 metres of descent. The starting point and finish are at the Schützenplatz. This allows you to factor the approximate duration and elevation change into your day’s plans.

There is also a connection to Nehden’s dinosaur themes on a cycling tour: the “In the Sign of the Limestone Hills – Cycling Around Brilon” tour includes a short detour to the Iguanodon discovery site in Nehden and the short interactive “DinoSpuren” hiking trail. Check the latest route conditions before setting out. The 1113 distillery in Brilon-Nehden also reflects the local character: it produces small batches of fine spirits using spring water and organically grown ingredients.

Village History and St. John’s Chapel

Nehden’s origins date back to the 9th or 10th century. A later landmark is the church square, first mentioned in a document on August 19, 1342. St. John’s Chapel in Nehden was built from rubble stone in 1681. It was built by Konrad Hermann Ulrich and his father Adam Ulrich, and dedicated to St. John the Baptist. These key dates give the local history a specific timeframe: from its early beginnings to a named building from the 17th century.

A Closer Look at Brilon

In the wider destination of Brilon, the Haus Hövener City Museum adds another historical connection to the Iguanodon themes. Original Iguanodon bones discovered in 1978 in a quarry near Brilon-Nehden are on display there. The house has largely been preserved in its 1910 condition; an interactive city model offers insights into life in Brilon in past centuries. The building was constructed around 1250, has a Baroque façade and is considered one of the oldest town halls in Germany. It is in the centre of Brilon, directly on the market square.

Those interested in the history of the landscape will also find the Geologischer Sprung in Brilon, an approximately eight-kilometre-long geological trail. The themed route brings two distinct Devonian features to life: the limestone hills of the Brilon plateau and the diabase deposits of Bilstein. Highlights include a viewing platform on the 634-metre-high Bilstein spoil heap. This allows you to consider Nehden’s dinosaur history and Brilon’s geological themes as separate focuses when planning your trip.

Discover more destinations: Bontkirchen, Hoppecke, Madfeld, Radlinghausen, Alme, Brilon-Wald, Gudenhagen.

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