Erwitte
An old royal town with an eventful history: Numerous historical buildings tell of this. Erwitte is also an important industrial location, as can be seen from the towers of the cement works. This development is due to the natural resources with which the landscape here is richly blessed: bubbling springs, fertile soil and limestone.
The town of Erwitte with its fifteen districts looks back on an eventful past. A large number of listed buildings characterize the townscape. The most obvious are the windmill in Schmerlecke, the water tower in Eikeloh and the Gradierwerk in the brine & mud spa Bad Westernkotten.
The core town of Erwitte is best explored on foot. A walk through the small alleys gives impressions that are denied from the car seat. The market square with the historic "Old Town Hall" offers a magnificent view of the tower of the St. Laurentius Church, which was once called the "most distinguished church of the Duchy of Westphalia". From there it is not far to the Königshof, which reminds of the time of Charlemagne and the Ottonians. The next destination is the picturesque castle grounds. There you will find the former ancestral home and hunting lodge of the Counts of Landsberg, which was built around 1600 in the Weser Renaissance style.
The location in the flat landscape of the Soest Börde is also particularly attractive. Because the respective character of the mostly agriculturally shaped districts can be explored so well on a bicycle tour. The same applies to the hidden natural treasures, such as the Pöppelsche nature reserve and recreation area. The valley on the north side of the Haarstrang forms one of the most beautiful Schledden in the region. Schledden are streams that only carry water intermittently, for example after heavy rainfall. The adjacent valley is therefore dry most of the year and forms a unique natural landscape.
