Discover Unna: City History, Light Art and Nature
Accommodation in Unna
In Unna, the medieval old town, a range of museums and the Bornekamptal landscape shape the city. During your stay, you can choose from a variety of options focused on city and regional history, light art and a local recreation area.
Old Town and City History
The Hellweg Museum Unna is a city and regional history museum run by the city. It is housed in a listed castle on the city wall. Among its permanent exhibits is the gold hoard, discovered in Unna’s old town in 1952. It comprises at least 255 gold coins, 230 of which are on display.
The old town itself also preserves traces of the past. Its defining features remain largely intact, making it a well-preserved historic townscape with a medieval character. The town plan, urban layout and buildings preserve historical information spanning the town’s development in the High Middle Ages through to the 20th century. Remains of the town wall and some surviving towers give an impression of the medieval town boundary and defensive history.
The present-day Protestant town church is the successor to the original parish church dating from 1322 and its subsequent building phases. It is considered the city’s most artistically significant building and one of the finest medieval religious buildings in the Hellweg region. More than 300 Stolpersteine (stumbling stones) in Unna commemorate the victims of National Socialism. In the Königsborn district, the historic wind pump at Friedrichsborn bears witness to the area’s former salt production.
Light Art in the Former Linden Brewery
The Center for International Light Art is located in the former Linden Brewery. Since 2001, light art has been displayed there underground across a total of 2,600 square metres. It is the world’s first and only museum dedicated to presenting light art in this way. Visits take place as part of guided tours. Workshops, symposiums and exhibition-related programmes complement the offerings. Plan your visit around the current tour schedule.
Bornekamptal and Green Spaces
The Bornekamptal stretches for about four kilometres from the southern edge of Unna to the open fields east of the Unna-Billmerich district. The Kortelbach stream runs through this landscape of woods, hedgerows, meadows, field margins, avenues and riverbanks. These areas are almost entirely designated as protected landscape features in the Unna landscape plan.
Mature stands of copper beech, some with a high proportion of deadwood, provide important feeding and breeding grounds for woodpeckers, bats and wood-decaying insects. The Bornekamptal is also an important local recreation area for the people of Unna and beyond, serving as a fresh-air corridor and quiet zone. Visitors, cyclists and horse riders should stay on the paved or signposted paths.
The SĂĽdfriedhof cemetery in Unna offers a different kind of green space. Covering more than 20 hectares, it has developed into a recreation area with mature trees. In the older section, the paths are lined with mature beech, lime and maple trees.
Tours, Programmes and Research
The Hellweg Museum offers an introduction to Jewish cultural history through its exhibits. A subsequent walking tour takes visitors to places in the city centre connected with Jewish life in Unna. The museum also offers activities and workshops for school classes and private individuals. As some dates may change, check the current programme when planning your visit.
The Unna City Archive answers enquiries about city and regional history and supports anyone interested in research. Tours can be arranged through the adult education centre’s programme or directly with the archive for groups; check the current arrangements in advance.
If you would like to give your stay a particular focus, city history and light art offer cultural points of interest, while the Bornekamptal and Südfriedhof bring green spaces into focus. When planning, you can weigh up which of Unna’s different sides is of particular interest for your trip.
Discover more destinations: Schwerte, Werne, Lünen, Bönen, Kamen, Selm, Bergkamen, Fröndenberg/Ruhr.
Go to the overview of destinations: Unna.
