Paderborn, the “City of 200 Springs”, is a veritable treasure of the Weser Renaissance and awaits city travellers with expansive greenery and historical museums.
Situated in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Paderborn is nestled against the picturesque Egge Hills which form part of the Teutoburg Forest towards the east. Curled around the city is the Pader River, only 2.5 miles in length which makes it Germany’s shortest river. Numerousquaint lakes attract city travellers to Paderborn. The city’s university was founded in 1614 and is one of Germany’s oldest. Today it houses a Theological Faculty.
One of the most impressive buildings of the city is the Dome of Paderborn in the heart of the city, with its mighty western tower measuring slightly more than 100 yards. The cathedral, built in late Romance/Gothic style, is not only home to numerous chapels with precious artefacts but also houses the silver shrine of Liborius the Saint from 1627. The Diocesan Museum is the oldest in Germany and impresses with marvellous sacral art from the last 1,000 years. Four well-known choirs are active in the cathedral, one of them the Domchor of Paderborn which first appeared in the year 806.
The other famous landmark of the city is the historical Guildhall of Paderborn with its three striking gables. Designed in the style of the Weser Renaissance, it was completed in 1620 and boasts beautiful arcades modelled after Florentine architecture. Among the 12 museums of the city, the most famous is the Heinz-Nixdorf-Museum on Fürstenallee, the largest computer museum worldwide.Take a journey through 5,000 years of information and communication technology and learn about the life of the computer pioneer Heinz Nixdorf who was from Paderborn and died in 1986. Marvel at more than 2,000 exhibition items illustrating the creation of script, the first calculating machines, telegraphy and the first personal computers. Courses about cryptography and robot construction are perfect events for children.
Another popular destination while on a short trip to Paderborn is the expansive park of the Pader Spring area in the centre of the city, Approximately 200 karst springs originate here and feed the Pader River. Take a walk around the Pader Meadows to Pader Lake and enjoy the abundance of nature while passing along the Stümpelsche Mill from around 1800 which is still active today. You can walk all the way to Neuhaus Castle with its castle and meadow park which was home to the State Garden Show in 1994. Standing over the confluence of the rivers Lippe, Alme and Pader is the impressive castle Schloss Neuhaus, built in the style of the Weser Renaissance. Make the widely famous events of summer in the castle gardens of the bishop residence, mentioned in records as early as 1036, the highlight of your city trip to Paderborn.
