Schalksmühle is a rich town. Rich in culture, rich in natural history, and rich in residents. Not meaning rich as in heavily populated, but rich as in lots of millionaires call this charming Westphalian place home. Who wouldn’t like to wake up every morning looking at the hilly forest scenery of the Sauerland?
Besides the rich and famous (OK, maybe not famous), Schalksmühle has a few things around town to keep you more than occupied. The kids will no doubt love the Tierpark Mesekendahl, a game park with pigs, deer, and all sorts of other creatures. In keeping with the animal theme, there’s a hunting museum if you’re interested in that sort of thing.
One place not to miss while visiting Schalksmühle is the Farmhouse Wippekühl. It’s an grand example of a 1600’s framework construction farmhouse, for which there aren’t many left of its kind.
You’ll find architecture from different time periods represented, too. There’s a lovely Art Nouveau style mansion on located on Bergstraße 25 from the turn of the 20th century, the New Gothic style Erlöserkirche from the 19th century, and the simple white 18th century Protestant Church in Heedfeld (these are only two of Schalksmühle’s local churches, for which there are 15 local villages in all).
With all the building sightseeing out of the way, you’re now “free to move about the Sauerland.” This densely forested area has many hiking and walking trails, lakes that are great for swimming, and caves to go exploring.
The Sauerland often finds visitors coming from the neighboring Netherlands because they don’t have any mountains over there, but you’ll find them here if you like that kind of terrain. The mountainous countryside is just perfect if you’re really into winter sports, including bobsledding, skiing, or anything else that you can do on the the “white stuff.”
If you’re coming to Schalksmühle looking for a rich spouse, that could very well happen. But, even if you don’t find one; you’ll come away from here all the richer anyway. ;-)
