Discover Hallenberg

Hallenberg’s historic character is on display in its town center: the typically ring-shaped street layout around the site of the castle includes numerous half-timbered houses, the parish church and the market square. Local history, culture and nature each offer a different focus here. You can tailor your travel plans to the topics that interest you most.

Town History and Culture in Hallenberg

At the KUMP Information and Communication Center in Hallenberg, you can experience the Hallenberg Easter Vigil through multimedia. The Hallenberg Ice House offers a different cultural focus: it features a permanent exhibition of ice sculptures by local ice artist Joachim Knorra. The multimedia experience and the permanent sculpture exhibition appeal to different interests and give Hallenberg’s cultural scene more than one focal point.

The former Hallenberg quarter of “Burg” is also part of the townscape: a bakery is still in operation there. Hallenberg Open-Air Theater has a long history of performances. Since 1946, more than 100 plays have been staged there, along with several guest performances. The theater also made a commitment to stage a Passion play every ten years about the life and death of Jesus Christ and the message of his resurrection.

Nature and Active Experiences

Sport climbing is available at the Steinschab quarry. The landscape around Hallenberg offers a different focus: above the village of Liesen, the Liesetal nature reserve stretches for about 4.5 kilometers uphill into the wooded Rothaargebirge, forming a species-rich corridor of meadows and pastures. This natural landscape is markedly different from the built-up town center.

Different interests come together when planning a trip here: Hallenberg offers town history, culture and sport climbing, among other things, while Liesetal adds a scenic dimension to the surrounding area. Which of these topics you prioritize can help you decide what to look for when searching for accommodation and planning your trip.

More Nature and Culture in the Hochsauerland District

Beyond Hallenberg, the Hochsauerland district offers a broader regional setting. The district is a member of the Sauerland-Rothaargebirge Nature Park, which includes areas previously located in the Homert and Rothaargebirge nature parks and is one of Germany’s largest nature parks. The nature park offers opportunities for hiking and cycling, environmental education centers and underground tours. These themes add further district-wide options to the picture of Hallenberg.

The Kahler Asten is one of the Hochsauerland district’s distinctive landscapes: at 841 meters, it is one of North Rhine-Westphalia’s highest elevations. The Moosfelde forest complex lies in the northwest of the Hochsauerland district and is home to numerous oaks and beeches more than a hundred years old. Hikers can follow the valleys of the Große and Kleine Aupke rivers and observe kingfishers, grey wagtails and dippers.

Other examples illustrate different ways to experience nature. The Siebenbuchen nature reserve north of Meerhof, a district of Marsberg, has a forest adventure trail with interactive stations, bridges over wetlands and water areas, and viewing platforms. In the Bergwiesen bei Altastenberg nature reserve, a designated mountain meadow trail leads through the area and offers information about the mountain meadow landscape. The protected area is about four kilometers west of Winterberg.

The landscapes also vary: the Bruchhauser Steine consist of four large porphyry rocks and are designated as a nature reserve, an FFH site and a bird sanctuary. The Niedersfelder Hochheide is the Neuer Hagen nature reserve and FFH site near Niedersfeld; it lies at an elevation of more than 800 meters and covers around 57 hectares of mountain heath. For a longer cycling route in the Hochsauerland district, the SauerlandRadring connects Finnentrop, Eslohe, Schmallenberg and Lennestadt over a total of 84 kilometers, mostly along former railway lines.

Choose your search based on the kind of character you want your trip to have.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Liesen, Braunshausen, Hesborn, Schmallenberg, Bestwig, Marsberg, Sundern, Eslohe.

Back to the regional travel overview: Hochsauerland district.