Bergkirchen: Church, Wittekindsquelle and Hiking Trails

In Bergkirchen, St. Nicholas Church, Wittekindsquelle, historic milling technology and hiking trails of varying lengths offer different insights into the history and landscape of the town.

Church, Spring and Milling Technology

St. Nicholas Church stands in the Wiehen Hills. The current building dates from 1756, while the church’s origins go back to the 12th century. This distinguishes the age of the existing church building from the longer history of the church site.

Wittekindsquelle is believed to be the site of a medieval Saxon sacred spring. It is associated with the legend of the miraculous spring of the Saxon duke Widukind. Its identification as the sacred site is a supposition; the miraculous spring belongs to legend.

A 19th-century watermill is equipped with an overshot waterwheel and two sets of millstones. The oil mill has a roller mill and a hydraulic press. The equipment therefore includes both milling machinery and the technical elements specifically belonging to the oil mill.

Choose Hiking Trails by Distance

Several trails are associated with Bergkirchen, from short circular routes to a longer stage. The listed routes are:

• the 3.26 km Bergkirchen–Wallücke circular route,
• the 3.58 km Bergkirchen–Schwöen circular route,
• the 4.74 km A3 route to Lutternschen Egge, and
• the 11.47 km stage of the Mühlensteig to Porta Westfalica.

The two circular routes are similar in length. The Mühlensteig stage is the longest of the four options listed. You can therefore start your selection by considering the route format and distance. Check trail conditions and markings locally before setting out.

More topics in the wider destination of Bad Oeynhausen

The wider destination of Bad Oeynhausen offers further cultural and landscape-related topics. The German Museum of Fairy Tales and Weser Legends in Bad Oeynhausen has a permanent cultural history exhibition about fairy tales and legends. Using well-known examples, the exhibition explains who collected or wrote them and what they are about. The exhibits in the Museumshof Bad Oeynhausen show life and work in the countryside in the 19th century.

Regular spa concerts by the orchestra take place in the Wandelhalle; they are free for residents and visitors. The Trink- und Wandelhalle in Bad Oeynhausen was built in 1926 in the form of a Greek temple, with Ionic columns and Doric halls.

Bad Oeynhausen’s spa park was laid out by Peter J. Lenné in 1853 and remains the center of the town today. Sielpark connects the north and south of the town and lies along the banks of the Werre, which runs through the entire park. It is considered Bad Oeynhausen’s city park. Oeynhausener Schweiz is a landscape park in Bad Oeynhausen with a fallow deer enclosure, an orchard meadow and mouflons. The 3.67 km “Vielfalt” hiking trail runs through the spa park and Oeynhausener Schweiz.

To the wider travel overview: Bad Oeynhausen.