The town of Ladbergen is kind of a misnomer. You see, bergen in German means mountains. Yet, there isn’t a mountain to be found in this town of around 6,500 people that’s about 20km north of Münster. Heck, there ain’t even any big hills around here.
Oh, goody, I won’t have to break into singing “Ain’t no mountain high enough.” ;-)
While some German towns are overloaded with half-timbered houses, medieval churches, festivals and markets — Ladbergen’s claim to fame is food.
Great, I love food. Wait, let me be more specific. I love most food. There’s just no way I’m gonna try the Töttchen. Don’t let me stop you if you’re on some culinary adventure (or got a cast-iron stomach), ’cause the stuff is made with calf tongue, and all the other… Nevermind, let’s just say it originally was a “poor man’s dish,” which usually didn’t include more expensive T-bone cuts.
I will, however, take the Eisenkuchen. Yummy cookies and/or wafer sticks that look like an Italian pizzelle. When you roll them right they make a great ice cream cone.
After eating a good walk around Ladbergen is in order. On the Marktplatz is the 19th century Lutheran Church; and there is a Local History Museum in town too.
From here you can visit the Schuhmachermuseum (Shoemaker Museum), the Galerie Strathworks with paintings & sculptures, the Volkstheater offering all sorts of performances, and the Königs Backes, which is the oldest building in Ladbergen, built in 1624. The Getreidemühle (Grain Mill) Erpenbeck is much younger, built in 1840.
Still need more exercise to work off those cookies? The Waldsee is a swimming lake, with camping, a tennis court, and soccer field. The lake is the venue for the big Pentecost/Whit Monday celebration.
Sometimes it’s best to feed others instead of yourself, the Wildfreigehege Nöttle Berg has a feeding zoo, and gives you a chance to see wild animals like wolves and bison. Seems like the perfect place to hold the Bärenfest (Bear Festival) every summer.
No exotic animals are found in Ladbergen’s Friedenspark (Peace Park), just the human and canine variety. Doesn’t matter to me, so long as I don’t have to share my Eisenkuchen. ;-)
