Hiking in Hochsauerland
Hiking suggestions for our guests
The elaborated hiking suggestions, of which we have worked out 16 routes for you, are all from the hiking guide Ralf Korsch from Leverkusen, who comes to us about 5 times a year with his hiking group from the Bergisches Land. All hiking trails start and end at the "market place" in Winterberg. All trail lengths and walking times refer to this starting point. Here is an elaborated hiking route:
Our hiking suggestion
Winterberg / historical circular trail (6.5 km / 1h, 40')
We leave the market place in a north-easterly direction via Hellenstraße and turn right through Kirchstraße to St. Jakobus- Kirche. On the way there we enjoy the many beautiful old and restored half-timbered houses. The church is dedicated to St. Jakobus the Elder. In the Middle Ages the pilgrims from Leipzig via Cologne to the grave of the apostle in Santiago de Compostela (Galicia) stopped here. The first church was probably built before 1225. After the fires in 1759 and 1791, the hall church was built in 1796 in its present form. The oldest parts of the altar date back to the beginning of the 18th century, while the most valuable and older apostle figures on the walls come from the County Monastery, which was dissolved in 1803.
We leave the Kirchstraße in eastern direction, turn right to the upper gate and then left into the Wernsdorfer Straße . After house no. 35, a narrow concrete staircase on the embankment leads up to the small historic Jewish cemetery. The Wernsdorfer Straße continues into the street Am Postteich. Follow this street and turn left behind the children's playground and walk up Kreuzbergweg with the 14 stations of Christ's Passion to the Kreuzbergkapelle (Chapel of the Cross). Construction of the chapel began in 1848 at the urging of the rich Winterberg hikers' merchants and from donations. The chapel "Am Rade" was consecrated in 1850 and the Stations of the Cross on 13 July 1851 by the Franciscans from Paderborn. The statue of St.Jacobus is a replica of the statue of a hobby carver from Züschen, which was brought from Galician granite from a pilgrimage to the cathedral Santiago de Compostela.
After visiting the Chapel of the Cross we turn right to the Hesborner Weg, down the Kapellenstraße and at the VOLKSBANK left into the Nuhnestraße, always uphill. This continues as Philosophers' Trail / Forest Educational Trail ( x13 ). Via the stairs in the direction of the swimming pool we reach the street and further right to the Bürger- und Stadthaus. There we visit the memorial stone for the burning of witches above the parking lot. In 1523 6 women were burned as witches at this place because of a judgement of the "Winterbergischer Halsgericht".
Now we take the spruce path on the right to the Waltenberg and downhill, cross the road at the Vacantiehotel Brabander and walk past it and the ski hut on the left up to St. Georg Schanze (managed, 718m üNN). There we enjoy the panoramic view of Winterberg and the mountains of Hochsauerland. For a small fee you can also climb the 22,00m high ski jump. From the ski jump, we continue in an easterly direction ( 9 ), after about 150m downhill to Haus Herrloh and then left through the Kurpark ( 9 ), past the treading pool back to the market place.
