Cycling is popular all over Germany, but the sport takes on a whole new twist when you visit Bünde. The town offers several different bicycle routes that allow families and singles to solve mysteries or complete a scavenger hunt while they ride.
One such tour, especially devoted to families with children, has twelve stops along a route where twelve questions are hidden. As the family rides from place to place, they must decipher the clues to find the answer to a mystery. Successful groups can claim a prize at the mayor’s office.
A similar ride for adults features crossword puzzles, which must be solved at each station along the route.
These are just a few of the outdoor activities you may enjoy if you visit this town in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Bünde is a very old town that was first mentioned in historical documents about 853. The Laurentius Church was even established between 778 and 840. It boasts one of the oldest church foundations in the entire region.
The fossils, which are found in abundance in the area, are even older. Skeletons and bones of many sea animals have been found here that have been dated at 30 million years old. Friedrich Langewiesche was the scientist who made many of these early discoveries in 1911 and 1912. He became an honorary citizen of Bünde, and you should plan to see the skull of a toothed whale and remains of a manatee that he found if you visit.
These and many other discoveries are housed in the Doberg Museum. The German government has turned the whole area where the fossils were found into a protected Nature Preserve. In addition to ancient relics, wildlife, forests, and meadows are kept safe from modern society.
Any cigar aficionado will want to visit Bünde. It is called the Cigar Box of Germany and lies at the center of the nation’s tobacco industry. In addition to cigars; pipes, tobacco jars, and boxes are produced there. A tobacco museum showcases the history of cigar production.
