Heek, who goes there? Wait a sec, isn’t it hark, who goes there?
Whatever! I was just trying to be cute with the town of Heek in the Münsterland region of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Don’t laugh at me, you’ll be doing the same thing when you visit Heek’s Nienborg Castle. OK, maybe just at the 14th century castle gatehouse. Then again (maybe) at the Keppelborg, which was built into the old castle wall in the 15th/16th century.
Castles aside, one of the coolest (awesome, fabulous, down right fantastic) buildings is the Long House, an elongated 2-storey house from the 16th century. All right, it’s not as grandiose as some manor houses and castles, but it’s still really nifty.
Another beautiful house is the Haus Horst. Too bad it’s private property… I would love to see inside its late 16th century walls. Wouldn’t you? Oh, good, glad I’m not the only one. ;-)
There are also two churches in Heek that really stand out. The Catholic Church in Heek proper, which was built in 1256 and the Catholic Church in Nienborg. The latter is filled with all sorts of religious objects, sculptures, and art from the 14th and 15th centuries.
All this sightseeing makes me hungry, which is why being here early on a Friday morning is a good idea. It’s where you can get fresh cheese, bread, and other little delicious delights.
There’s no way to confuse it with the Clemens Market on the third weekend of November with a stall of make-up, toys, and jewelry to name a few. Its obligatory Christmas Market is pretty fantastic, too. On the 1st weekend of Advent all sorts of shopping booths will tempt you with their wares.
The best though is the Oktoberfest (you know what that means… lots of drinking & dancing) which is held on the Saturday before German Unity Day. Too bad it’s held every other year — I’d do this every year if I could! ;-)
At least Heek’s Fair is a twice yearly event — once on the 4th Sunday of June and again on the 1st weekend of August. Nice, huh?
The only thing missing is a hot air balloon ride over the countryside. Oops, you CAN actually do that too, so its not missing, is it? Hark, who goes there? Just me… from a few hundred feet above your head. ;-)
