Brachthausen combines historic church interiors with striking rock formations and hiking trails. This offers different ways to plan your stay: explore the history of St. Nicholas Chapel, take in the views at the Brachtser Cliffs, or discover natural and cultural history on a themed trail.
History at the Chapel
St. Nicholas Chapel in Brachthausen was first mentioned in church visitation records in 1613. Inside, the richly decorated high altar, windows with Gothic tracery, detailed statues and a gallery with an organ catch the eye. These distinct features give a visit its own cultural focus, setting it apart from the natural attractions in the surrounding area.
On the Kohlhagen Seelenort hiking trail (A1), the Nikolaus-Platz by the church in Brachthausen invites you to pause for a while. Another church landmark is the Church of the Visitation of Mary in Kohlhagen. Built between 1703 and 1707 on the site of an earlier building, it features elaborate Baroque furnishings from the Sasse sculptors’ workshop in Attendorn.
Cliffs, Forest and Nature Reserve
The Brachtser Cliffs lie northeast of Brachthausen. Deciduous forest surrounds the rock formations, which offer expansive views. The cliffs lie a little way off the hiking trail from Hasenbahnhof to Kohlhagen. If you are considering this trail, their location is useful to bear in mind when planning: the rock formations are not directly on the trail mentioned.
Another landscape to explore is the Dollenbruch Nature Reserve between Brachthausen and Silberg. Its habitats include swamp forests, alder forests, open grassland, wet meadows and purple moor-grass meadows. The 4.5-kilometre “Border Stories Up Close” themed hiking trail (A2) passes through the protected area. Podcast anecdotes share cultural and natural history along the way. This tour focuses both on the landscape and on the stories that bring it to life.
Hikes and Getting Your Bearings
You can start the Brachtser Höhenweg in the centre of Brachthausen. An additional 950-metre section towards Hasenbahnhof also joins the route from the area around the church. An information board at the Brachthausen Ortsmitte hiking portal by the church provides details of a variety of possible tours. The start in the village centre and the additional section are two specific points of reference to distinguish when planning your hike.
The “Brachthausen Graube” bus stop is also associated with the hiking portal in the village centre; bus routes R91 and R92 are listed. If you plan to travel by bus, check the timetable in advance so your plans are based on current services.
Kirchhundem: More Regional Highlights
The wider destination of Kirchhundem offers other distinct attractions. Panorama Park Sauerland is an 80-hectare wildlife and adventure park in Kirchhundem. Kulturgut Schrabben Hof in Kirchhundem-Silberg combines a local history museum with a nostalgic café, an old bakehouse, beer garden, festival barn, beer tavern, antique barn and theatre barn, all within an ensemble of buildings that is largely listed as a historic monument.
The museum at Kulturgut Schrabben Hof tells the story of life in a Sauerland village and the mining history of Silberg across around 250 square metres. It also provides information about the region’s nature reserves and displays fossils and minerals relating to the history of the Earth.
Discover more destinations: Silberg, Varste, Oberhundem, Heinsberg.
Back to the main travel overview: Kirchhundem.
