It’s a tad confusing when you have a town with the same name in six German federal states. But, for this I’m talking about Lichtenau in Westphalia, right inside the Teutoburg Forest / Eggegebirge Nature Park.
Lichtenau enjoys some pretty warm summers, so if you like that weather it’s a nice time to visit. That’s also when the town holds a concert series at the Kloster Dalheim.
No matter the season, the monastery has a museum totally dedicated to monastic culture. Walk around to see all the religious statues found around the monastery’s grottos, too.
More medieval sites in Lichtenau include St. Kilian’s Church whose tower goes back to 1323. Only a few years later Burg Lichtenau was built. Don’t expect turrets and towers, this a tall boxy grey stone building.
Another boxy, yet charming, building is known as the Spieker which has been a part of Lichtenau since it was built in 1588. To keep with the square sites, go see the town’s Thousand Year Old Tower. Yes, before you ask, it’s that old for real.
The only thing older around the area are the Stone Age graves that date back more than 5000 years.
Good thing Lichtenau has a cultural side, too. While there’s no proper theater within all of the town’s fifteen subdivisions, you can easily run over to Paderborn, which is just a few kilometers away, for that.
Yet, every other October brings on the Klostermann Market within the Forest. The food is simply delicious and the party atmosphere is quite contagious. However, the December Christmas Market is also quite interesting.
December and the winter months might be a bit cold to head out on the umpteen number of bicycle paths or the touristy Walking Way. Good thing there are nine other months outta the year where you can enjoy them.
I like it cold, so I might be the only one out there on the trails that time of year. But, at least now I’m not the only one that knows about Lichtenau in Westphalia
