On the trail of the wildcat in Lage-Hörste

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3.99 km long
round trip
Difficulty: medium
condition: very easy
Themed trail
  • 01:10 h
  • 95 m
  • 94 m
  • 182 m
  • 277 m
  • 95 m
  • 3.99 km
  • Start: House of the guest, Lage-Hörste
A sculpture trail of around 4 km in length with 13 art stations that can be hiked.

"Art and nature"

In 2008, 13 artists set up works of art in the Lage-Hörste spa gardens and along the Hermannsweg trail on the initiative of the Teutoburg Forest/Eggegebirge Nature Park. They were each provided with a steel wildcat sculpture for this purpose. The artists were invited to engage with the sculpture and the surrounding landscape in order to create a dialog between nature and art. This approach resulted in 13 completely different works of art that can be found along the path. The Lippe artists' association "Kunst-Werk Lippe e. V." was involved in the development of the project and was able to recruit numerous Lippe artists working in the field of sculpture or spatial installations to participate.

In 2019, the artworks on the "Wildcat Trail" were renovated, some of the artworks were moved and the route was shortened. The wildcat trail should be hiked counter-clockwise in the order of the numbering.

The wildcat was chosen as the theme because the Teutoburg Forest/Eggegebirge Nature Park is home to one of the few remaining original wildcat populations in North Rhine-Westphalia. In 2018, the wildcat was named "Animal of the Year 2018" by the German Wildlife Foundation. This title is intended to draw more attention to the rare cats. On the newly created GPS trail, you can learn interesting facts about the life of the wildcat.

Further information can be obtained from the Lage Tourist Information Office. A free brochure is also available here.

Good to know

Best to visit

suitable
Depends on weather

Directions

The sculpture trail begins at the entrance to the Waldkurpark (station 1). Follow the lower path through the park along the pond. On this route, you will pass stations 2-5. At the crossroads, turn left onto Freibadstraße (stations 6-8) and follow this until you turn left onto Hermannsweg at the next major crossroads. Along the Hermannsweg you can discover another sculpture (station 9). Follow the Hermannsweg until you reach a fork in the road where you can keep left towards the former Verdi Institute (Heinrich Hansen House) for Education, Media and Art. Here you will encounter stations 10 and 11. The 12th wildcat sculpture is located at the former Verdi Institute. To get to station 13, turn shortly before the former Verdi Institute left and follow the route until you can turn right again onto Freibadstraße. You return to the starting point through the Waldkurpark.

Tour information

  • Familiy-Friendly

  • Loop Road

Equipment

Sturdy shoes and clothing suitable for the weather.

Directions & Parking facilities

A2, exit Bielefeld-Zentrum on the B66 in the direction of Lage. In Helpup, turn right towards Stapelage. In the center of Hörste, keep right in the direction of Augustdorf. You can park in the parking lot behind the Haus des Gastes. This is where the Hörste forest spa park begins.
Parking lot at the "Haus des Gastes".
Take the 951 bus from Lage (Lippe) station to the Eschenbredestr./Ikenkamp stop

Additional information

You can also download the flyer as a PDF file from the Teutoburg Forest/Eggegebirge Nature Park website: https://www.naturpark-teutoburgerwald.de/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Flyer-Wildkatzenpfad-v5-Ansicht_final.pdf

Literature

Wild cats" brochure.

Author´s Tip / Recommendation of the author

Take a detour to the Rethlager springs

.

With the free app (https://bit.ly/2W477KC), you can learn interesting facts about the life of the wildcat via the newly created GPS trail. The app displays your own position and automatically alerts you when you reach a station. The app can be used on the move without an internet connection. All you need is the GPS function of your own device.

Safety guidelines

In winter, there is a risk of slippery roads in some places.
Getting there
On the trail of the wildcat in Lage-Hörste
32791 Lage