Soest invites visitors to explore a variety of attractions: St. Mary’s Church in the Meadow combines High Gothic architecture with significant stained-glass windows and the “Westphalian Last Supper.” Several museums offer distinctive perspectives on local history, art and interactive learning. Around 30 themed guided tours open up further perspectives. The Soest district also offers river floodplains, the fields and meadows of the Soest Börde, and extensive woodland. Culture and landscape thus stand side by side as distinct aspects of a stay.
Church art with several points of reference in time
St. Mary’s Church in the Meadow, also known as the “Wiesenkirche,” is one of Germany’s finest High Gothic hall churches. The foundation stone for the present-day parish church was laid in 1313. Other notable features of the church include Westphalia’s most significant 14th-century stained-glass windows and the famous “Westphalian Last Supper,” created around 1500. The building’s history, stained-glass windows and a named work of art thus offer distinct points of interest. The dates also refer to different aspects: 1313 marks the laying of the foundation stone for the present-day parish church, while “around 1500” refers to the creation of the Last Supper.
Local history, art and interactive learning
The Osthofentor Museum provides an overview of the city’s more than 1,000-year history and its topographical development. It uses information panels, large-format texts, photographs, graphics and a model of the city. History and urban layout are treated as separate topics: historical content is presented alongside the city’s topographical development.
The LiebesLeben Museum takes a different approach, presenting itself as a modern science center. Participation, interaction, experimentation and learning are at the forefront, with visitors aged 5 to 95 in mind. The Wilhelm Morgner Museum with RAUM SCHROTH features temporary exhibitions and a permanent exhibition dedicated to the Soest Expressionist Wilhelm Morgner. The Burghof Museum presents exhibitions on local and church history, engravings by Heinrich Aldegrever (1502 to around 1555), and the exhibition “Everyday Life in the Middle Ages.” Together, the museums range from local history and medieval themes to art and an interactive science-center concept.
Guided tours and a recurring medieval festival
The Soest Feud adds a special historical dimension: the medieval festival takes place in Soest every two years and brings together more than 900 participants from 12 European nations. If you would like to plan your trip around it, check the event dates and program in advance.
Soest offers around 30 themed guided tours, including historical walks, culinary tours such as the Soest Menu Safari, and evening experiences such as the Moonlight Promenade. These examples illustrate the range of themes: history, culinary experiences and evening activities sit side by side. The program may change, so check the current offerings before your trip.
Landscape and activities in the Soest district
The Soest district visitor region brings together river floodplains, the fields and meadows of the Soest Börde, extensive woodland, villages and historic towns. The largest contiguous forest area in North Rhine-Westphalia lies in the Arnsberg Forest Nature Park in the southern part of the Soest district. Open landscapes, floodplains and woodland thus offer distinct natural features within the region.
The Soest district offers opportunities for cycling, hiking, water sports, climbing, skydiving and gliding, as well as relaxing in gardens. The range spans activities on the water and in the countryside, as well as garden experiences. Which specific options are right for your trip depends on which of these themes you would like to explore.
One specific example in Soest is the Soest Climbing Park. On days when it is open, it is accessible to people at least 1.40 m tall. Children who are at least 1.30 m tall and at least 6 years old may use courses 1 and 2 when accompanied by an adult. Requirements therefore vary according to height, age and course; check the current participation requirements before visiting.
Discover more destinations: Werl, Warstein, Soest, Lippstadt, Geseke, Erwitte, Bad Sassendorf, Möhnesee, Vellinghausen, Wickede, Rüthen, Lippetal, Ense, Anröchte, Welver.
See the main travel overview: North Rhine-Westphalia.
