Discover Kierspe: Reservoirs and Museums
Accommodation in Kierspe
If you choose Kierspe as a travel destination, you can plan around some clear distinctions: circular routes by reservoirs, collections featuring very different objects, and demonstrations of old production machinery.
Reservoir Trails in Kierspe
The Kierspe Reservoir Route begins and ends in the district of Rönsahl and later circles the Kerspe Reservoir. At the Jubach Reservoir, a 2.7 km-long path goes around the reservoir. It is accessible only on foot from the Herlinghausen-Volme hiking car park. This makes it possible to compare different points of reference when choosing a route: Rönsahl marks the start and finish of the reservoir route, while the length is specified for the path at the Jubach Reservoir.
Museums, Collections and Historic Production
The Kierspe Bakelite Museum is described as unique in Germany and displays several thousand exhibits in a temporary exhibition. Products made from the world’s first synthetic plastic include food processors, bicycle grips, light switches, a “magic lantern,” Volksempfänger radios, ashtrays, hair dryers and typewriters. These examples show the material in a wide range of objects and devices.
The Schleiper Hammer is located in the Schleipetal, a right-hand tributary valley of the Volme, within the city of Kierspe. Visitors can watch demonstrations of old production machinery there and try their hand at the work themselves. This adds a different kind of visit to the collections: a look at historic machines and demonstrations of how they work.
The Fritz Linde Museum exhibits books and letters by Fritz Linde, a local poet from Kierspe. The Märkisches Zinnfigurenkabinett displays around 15,000 tin figures and 50 dioramas. Visitors must arrange an appointment in advance with Detlef Voigt-Wetzel. The two collections focus on different things: personal documents at the Fritz Linde Museum, and figures and dioramas at the tin-figure cabinet.
Listening Points and a City Tour
The Kierspe Listening Points comprise ten audio stops spread across the city. A city tour of Kierspe can be booked for closed groups; public tour dates may change. The listening points and the tour are different ways to make Kierspe part of your travel plans.
More Places to Visit in the Märkischer Kreis
The wider travel destination of the Märkischer Kreis also offers its own cultural and landscape attractions. Altena Castle is a monument of national importance and was the site of the world’s first, and therefore oldest, permanent youth hostel. The German Wire Museum is an interactive experience museum about wire production, past and present. It covers the technological history of wire as well as its social, economic and cultural history; interactive stations invite visitors to take part.
At the Felsenmeer in Hemer, rock formations have been shaped over centuries by the influence of wind, water and people. The site is also home to one of the oldest iron ore mining areas in Westphalia. The Felsenmeer can be visited only via designated paths; the panoramic trail leads to the viewpoints. Check route and safety requirements before your trip.
Discover more destinations: Plettenberg, Iserlohn, Hemer, SchalksmĂĽhle, Werdohl, Herscheid, Altena, Meinerzhagen.
Back to the overview of destinations: Märkischer Kreis.
