Schwelm’s old town features slate-clad half-timbered buildings dating from the 18th and 19th centuries. A section of the Way of St. James also passes through the old town. You can shape your stay around architectural history and a town walk, or focus on a longer hike.
Old town, Christuskirche and local history
The Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm IV laid the foundation stone at Christuskirche in 1842. The church, built from sandstone blocks, was consecrated in 1849. These dates and the building material give the church a distinctive place in Schwelm’s architectural history.
Other buildings and places also recall Schwelm’s past as a town with a mineral spring: the listed Brunnenhäuschen, Haus Friedrichsbad, Brunnenstraße and several nearby half-timbered buildings. The Zimmermann rock collection in Martfeld Chapel houses fossils from Schwelm’s mass limestone. This adds a geological theme to the town’s architectural history.
Local festival and markets
Schwelm’s local festival takes place every year. It includes a five-day fair and a parade featuring Schwelm’s 13 neighbourhoods, and draws around 60,000 people to the town centre each year. If the festival is the reason for your trip, check the specific dates in advance.
Schwelm’s weekly market takes place twice a week and offers a wide selection of fresh, high-quality everyday products. On Fridays, the Feierabendmarkt (after-work market) also invites you to welcome the weekend. As market schedules and operations can change, check the latest information before your trip.
On foot: the Way of St. James and a town walk
A section of the Way of St. James passes through Schwelm’s old town. One route of around 13.5 kilometres runs from Gevelsberg town centre through Schwelm to Wuppertal-Beyenburg. This lets you choose between a visit to the old town and a longer walk, rather than budgeting the same amount of time for both.
The Schwelm stage offers natural scenery and passes historic buildings and the atmospheric town centre. Check the signs and trail conditions locally before setting out on this route. The town also provides information about the Schwelm circular walk; check trail conditions before you start.
If you would like to explore the old town independently, you can follow the free flyer for the Historic Town Walk. It lists places of interest and provides information for exploring on your own. Check whether the flyer is available before your trip. The Schwelm Town Marketing Office also sells hiking and cycling maps for tours in the Bergisches Land; availability and opening hours may change.
Getting to Schwelm
At Schwelm station, the Wupper-Express runs between Aachen and Dortmund, and the Maas-Wupper-Express between Venlo and Hamm. The Münsterland-Express runs between Rheine or Münster and Cologne and Krefeld. S-Bahn line 8 runs between Mönchengladbach and Hagen, with an additional stop at Schwelm-West. Routes and stopping patterns can change; check the timetable for your travel date.
Schwelm is accessible by car via the A 1 motorway, using the Wuppertal-Langerfeld exit or the Wuppertal-Nord interchange. Together with the rail connections, this gives you an overview of travel options; actual journey times depend on the connection you choose.
Discover more destinations: Sprockhövel, Hattingen, Breckerfeld, Witten, Ennepetal, Wetter, Herdecke, Gevelsberg.
Return to the main travel overview: Ennepe-Ruhr District.
