Discover ­the region

Until this year, until this battle against Arminius and his Germanic fighters, the Roman legions were considered invincible throughout the then known world. This reputation was now ruined. Moreover, the devastating defeat of the general Varus marked the beginning of the end of Roman expansion to the north and east - a turning point in world history that is certainly worthy of a monumental memorial.

Neither the date of birth nor the date of death of the legendary Saxon duke are known. What is certain, however, is that until his baptism, he was Charlemagne's fiercest opponent in the Saxon Wars, which lasted from 772 to 804. The Widukind Museum in Enger brings his story and the legends surrounding his life to life. His tomb can be found in the nearby collegiate church.

Firstly, preparations are made for Charlemagne's coronation as emperor in 800. And secondly, the founding of the diocese of Paderborn is decided. In the same year, construction work begins on the first predecessor church of the cathedral. The museum in the imperial palace and the Archbishop's Diocesan Museum, which was the first of its kind in the German-speaking world when it opened in 1853, today houses impressive artefacts from the city's and Germany's history.

The beginning of a success story: the Benedictine abbey, idyllically situated on the bend of the River Weser, quickly developed into one of the richest monasteries in Germany. The monks invested their fortune well and developed Corvey into a spiritual and cultural centre with great charisma.

Even before the arrival of the friars, there was a monastery on the same site near Lichtenau, but little is known about it. Under the leadership of the Augustinian canons, a steady rise began. As can be seen from today's well-preserved ensemble of buildings, the convent experienced its heyday during the Baroque period. Today, the unique LWL exhibition "Eingetreten! 1700 years of monastic culture" can be seen here today. The monastery garden, restored according to historical models, is a European garden heritage site.

At the age of 38, the sculptor and architect Ernst von Bandel set to work on erecting a monument to the victorious Cheruscan prince Arminius - a life's work. He chose the Grotenburg near Detmold, a 386 metre high peak in the Teutoburg Forest barely three days' walk from the historic battlefield, as the location.

It was the largest machine spinning mill in Europe, which alone justifies Bielefeld's nickname as the ‘linen weaving town’. Of course, most of the spun flax was processed on site. Today, Bielefeld's historical museum is housed in the listed buildings that characterise the cityscape. Visitors learn that linen has been woven in Bielefeld since the ninth century.

At the age of 75, von Bandel witnessed the inauguration of the heroic statue in the presence of Emperor Wilhelm I and around 30,000 enthusiastic guests. The Hermann Monument is 53.46 metres high - and was the tallest statue in the western world at the time. It was not until eleven years later that the New York Statue of Liberty equalled the record.

Free passage without time-consuming locks: the 370 metre long trough bridge, which carries the Mittelland Canal over the Weser, makes it possible. Together with the new bridge from 1998 and the locks that allow inland waterway vessels to ‘turn off’ from the Weser onto the canal, the waterway junction is one of the most impressive and most visited technical monuments in the region.

Top-class sport in HalleWestphalia: the world's elite have been meeting at the ATP grass tennis tournament "Gerry Weber Open" since 1993, which is now called the "Terra Wortmann Open 2023". The tournament is played in the "OWL Arena" (OWL = East Westphalia-Lippe).

The artistic decoration of the oldest surviving building is of particular world renown: the wall paintings from the Carolingian period are almost completely preserved in the westwork of the monastery church. Together with buildings and artefacts from later periods, they bear witness to almost 1200 years of history. Incidentally, the part of the church that was reserved for the emperor was known as the westwork. It was used 24 times in Corvey.

Bad Lippspringe is the venue for the NRW State Garden Show, the fifth in the Teutoburg Forest holiday region. The spa forest and the three parks of the spa and climatic health resort at the source of the River Lippe are being embellished for the event.

A new visitor centre and a new restaurant await visitors to the monument. The 88 metre high statue of the German Emperor Wilhelm I (1797-1888) has stood on the Wittekindsberg at Porta Westfalica above the Weser since 1896.

The sixth State Garden Show in the Teutoburg Forest holiday region took place in Höxter from 20 April to 15 October under the motto "Schön hier, Komm gucken". The grounds stretched from the Corvey World Heritage Site along the Weser to the old town centre and the ramparts.