Soest: The Wiesenkirche, museums and city history

Gothic architecture and works of art

St. Maria zur Wiese, also known as the “Wiesenkirche,” is considered one of Germany’s finest High Gothic hall churches. The foundation stone for the present-day parish church was laid in 1313. The church has the most significant 14th-century stained-glass windows in Westphalia and is also famous for the “Westphalian Last Supper,” created around 1500. Its architectural design, medieval beginnings and works of art offer different ways to appreciate the building.

City history, art and the Middle Ages

The Osthofentor Museum provides an overview of more than 1,000 years of the city’s history and its topographical development. Information panels, large-format texts, photos, graphics and a model of the city are among its various presentation formats. The museum thus connects historical topics with a spatial view of the city’s development.

The Burghof Museum focuses on different topics: it features exhibitions on the history of the city and the church, copper engravings by Heinrich Aldegrever (1502 to around 1555), and the exhibition “Everyday Life in the Middle Ages.” Visitors looking for specific topics in art and medieval life will find a different approach here than in the Osthofentor Museum’s overview.

The Wilhelm Morgner Museum with RAUM SCHROTH presents temporary exhibitions and a permanent exhibition devoted to Wilhelm Morgner, an Expressionist from Soest. Its exhibitions offer an art-focused experience alongside the city and church history covered elsewhere. As the program may change, check the current exhibitions before your visit.

Get involved and explore Soest on a guided tour

The LiebesLeben_Museum in Soest describes itself as a modern science center. Participation, interaction, experimentation and learning take center stage; the attraction is aimed at people of all ages from 5 to 95. Its interactive approach sets it apart from the museums’ historical and art-focused themes.

Soest offers around 30 themed tours. These include historical walks, culinary tours such as the Soest Menu Safari, and evening events such as the Moonlight Promenade. These examples show the different ways a guided exploration can be organized. The program may change, so check the dates and tours that fit your travel dates.

Festival and climbing park

The Soester Fehde is a medieval festival held in Soest every two years. More than 900 participants from 12 European nations come together for the event. If the festival is important to your travel plans, check the event dates and program in advance.

The Soest Climbing Park has clear participation requirements: on days when it is open, the park is accessible to people at least 1.40 m tall. Children who are at least 1.30 m tall and at least 6 years old may use courses 1 and 2 when accompanied by an adult. As requirements may change, check them again before your visit.

A wider look at the Soest district

For a regional perspective in North Rhine-Westphalia, the Soest district offers a different range of themes from the city’s museums and cultural attractions. The visitor region includes river floodplains, the fields and meadows of the Soest Börde, extensive woodland, villages and historic towns. Leisure activities in the district include cycling, hiking, water sports, climbing, skydiving, gliding and relaxing in gardens. In the southern Soest district, Arnsberg Forest Nature Park contains North Rhine-Westphalia’s largest contiguous forest area. You can therefore weigh cultural attractions in Soest against nature and outdoor activities in the wider district as different aspects of your trip.

More destinations

Discover more destinations: Möhnesee, Bad Sassendorf, Erwitte, Geseke, Lippstadt, Soest, Warstein, Werl, Lippetal, Vellinghausen, Anröchte, Wickede, Rüthen, Welver, Ense.

Go to the main travel overview: North Rhine-Westphalia.