In sacred footsteps

You start your tour with a highlight: before you get on your bike, the Liesborn Abbey Museum awaits you. Liesborn Abbey Museum is waiting to be explored. In the baroque abbey residence of the former Benedictine abbey in Liesborn, the first saints already play a major role:

Saint Roswindis/ Roswitha von Liesborn
As the first abbess, Roswindis, also called Roswitha, went down in the chronicles of the monastery as a historical figure. The stories surrounding her are even more legendary: as an unknown sister of Charlemagne, she was personally appointed by him - immediately after he founded the monastery - as the first abbess and confidant of his empire in Liesborn. According to the monastery chronicle, her grave is under the tower of the abbey church, which the penultimate abbess Oderatis had built around 1100.

SS. Cosmas and Damian and the lower arm of St. Simeon
The former monastery church has a double patronage. The two patron saints of doctors and pharmacists - Cosmas and Damian - are found in the church's reliquary. But the most unusual piece awaits under the altar: surrounded by a golden shrine, an arm relic of St. Simeon is kept here. Saint Simeon held Christ in his arms as a newborn and immediately sensed the significance that lay on the child. How the monastery came by such a valuable relic still fires the imagination today. Today, the stone Simeon in front of the church points to the valuable church treasure (original in the museum).

Now get on your bike! From Liesborn you start into the Münsterland farming communities in the direction of Lippe Valley. Extensive meadows and fields as well as numerous meadows, fields and farms line the path. On the Herringerfeld road you come to a newly designed refuge where you can take a leisurely break. The trail continues along the meadow and field landscape to beautiful Herzfeld. This small community is also known beyond the region for its special patron saint, St. Ida.

The next stop on your tour takes you to an impressive building of the Lippe Renaissance: Hovestadt Castle. To get there, you cross the river Lippe on your bike, the "natural border of Münsterland". Idyllically situated on the Lippe, it offers a particularly beautiful photo motif. Hovestadt Castle dates back to a knight's seat first mentioned in the 12th century. Since the 18th century, the Plettenbergs have lived in the family estate, which is steeped in tradition, and have now opened the well-tended park to the public. The family takes care of most of the grounds themselves.

Guests are welcome, but beware: Please do not cross the second bridge of the two-island complex. Here it can happen that uninvited guests are "caught" by an automatic locking mechanism on the private property.

On the saddle again, this bike tour takes you in the direction of Oestinghausen. On the way, you cycle through green fields and meadows, fed by small rivers. In Oestinghausen you will discover the Romanesque Town Church of St. Stephen from the 13th century. The oldest building in the Lippe Valley is under the patronage of St. Stephen. He is said to have been the first Christian to die for his faith around 40 AD. Even today, there is a tradition in Münsterland of "St. Stephen's Stoning" on Boxing Day. People meet friends in a pub with a stone in their pocket. If you are caught without a stone, you have to pay for a local round.

Then you drive through the Nature Reserve Ahsewiesen. On the right-hand side of the road you will see an obvious outlook tower. It is worth stopping for the view! After the break, the route continues towards Hultrop and, appropriately enough, to a saint who knows a lot about towers: St. Barbara.

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The St Barbara is a modern church, but with original baroque furnishings. St Barbara can be seen on the altarpiece. She was beheaded by her own father because she would not renounce the Christian faith. The saint is one of the 14 helpers in need and is considered the patron saint of towers and fortresses: not entirely unimportant in Münsterland with its many churches, castles and fortresses. Her day of remembrance is 4 December.

The Quabbe flows leisurely through the village of Lippborg and out of town through the green meadows to the Quabbe mill. Thanks to renaturation, the river, together with the Glenne and the Liese, is now in good condition, even though the water level is affected by the warm summers. The route continues through the woods to a castle hidden among the trees in Lippe Valley . Turning onto Assenweg, you reach the main entrance to Assen Castle.

You can see every inch of the castle's history. Stylistically dominated by the Lippe Renaissance, the moated castle is one of the most beautiful Renaissance castles in Münsterland and Lippe Valley. Until 2016, the Order ran a boarding school for boys at the moated castle. Today, Assen Castle is a spiritual centre with a varied (Christian) calendar of events.