Geseke: City History, Quarry and Nature

Geseke can be explored through a wide range of themes: city history and sacred architecture sit alongside insights into limestone quarrying, protected natural areas and recurring festivals. Families can also enjoy guided city tours for children. Choosing which theme you would like to shape your stay is a good way to guide your further planning.

A closer look at the quarry

The “Mythos Stein” quarry park gives the public access to an area of about seven hectares within the quarry. A gently sloping ramp around 700 metres long leads there and is also suitable for visitors with disabilities. Check the access conditions before your visit. From a safe vantage point in the themed park, you can watch limestone being quarried, from blasting and loading to transporting the raw material to the adjacent cement works. “Mythos Stein” thus offers insight into extraction as well as the limestone’s journey to further processing.

City history and sacred art

The Hellweg Museum is housed in the listed Dickmann House, a magnificent merchant’s house dating from 1664 and an upscale hall house belonging to a farming family. Its collections cover geology, prehistory and local culture. The three areas offer different perspectives on natural history, earlier times and folk culture, rather than limiting local history to a single point of view.

The collegiate church of St. Cyriacus is located in the heart of Geseke. The church houses a Pietà from the first half of the 15th century; the devotional image known as “Maria Schuß” is also venerated there. The old town rampart is another defining feature of the historic cityscape: it still completely encloses the old town.

Routes, nature and events

Pilgrims reach Geseke from the direction of Salzkotten along the Way of St. James. In Geseke, the route follows the Hellweg and crosses the old town rampart. This brings the pilgrimage route together with a striking feature of the old town’s history. For cyclists, the 114-kilometre “Steine und Mehr” route offers a different way to plan a trip. It was developed as a joint project by the municipalities of Geseke, Anröchte and Warstein.

The natural areas also provide specific points of interest for planning a trip. The “Westerschledde” nature reserve is one of the highlights of the natural landscape in the Geseke municipal area. The “Stockheimer Bruch” nature reserve near Bönninghausen is another. Anyone wishing to include nature in their stay can bear these two named areas in mind when planning their visit.

The Gösselkirmes is an annual four-day fair in Geseke that begins on the first Thursday in May. The Hexenstadtfest takes place on the last weekend in September. The events therefore fall at distinctly different times of the year: the fair takes place in May, and the city festival in September. For specific travel plans, it is advisable to check the latest event dates and programme details.

One activity for younger visitors is the “Geseke entdecken für Kinder” (Discover Geseke for Children) series of guided city tours. Tour dates may change, so checking the latest dates can help with planning. Families can therefore consider this city activity alongside the museum, sacred art, nature or events, without limiting their stay to just one way of exploring.

Another look at Soest

Within the wider destination of Soest, the Osthofentormuseum offers its own focus on cultural history. Information panels, large-format texts, photos, graphics and a city model provide an overview of Soest’s more than 1,000-year history and its topographic development. The LiebesLeben_Museum in Soest describes itself as a modern science centre: participation, interaction, hands-on exploration and learning are at its heart, and it welcomes people of all ages from five to 95. These attractions are in Soest and add further museum experiences to the picture of Geseke.

When planning, check the specific dates of the festivals and the access conditions for “Mythos Stein”.

Discover more destinations

Eringerfeld, Werl, Möhnesee, Erwitte, Warstein, Lippetal, Ense and Vellinghausen.

For the wider travel overview: Soest.