The Westerberg, also called the Westerather Berg, is, at ,{{GeoQuelle, DE-NW, TIM the highest elevation in the

Baumberge The Baumberge are the highest hills in the natural regions of Münsterland and Kernmünsterland with a maximum height of . They are located between Münster (Westfalen), Münster and Coesfeld, which is itself close to the southwest edge of the Ba ...

hills and the German region of Münsterland. It is located in this small range of hills between the three villages of

Billerbeck Billerbeck ( Westphalian: ''Billerbiëk'') is a municipality in the district of Coesfeld in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. Geography Neighbor towns/cities Billerbeck has boundaries to Rosendahl, Laer, Altenberge, Havixbeck, Nottuln and Coes ...

Havixbeck Havixbeck ( Westphalian: ''Havkesbierk'' or ''Havkesbieck'') is a municipality situated on the north-east edge of the Baumberge in the district of Coesfeld, in northern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approximately 15 km west ...

, and

Nottuln Nottuln (; Low German: ''Notteln'') is a municipality in the district of Coesfeld in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Nottuln is situated in the Baumberge, approx. 20 km west of Münster. Neighbouring municipalities ...

Longinus Tower

On the summit of the Westerberg, which is in places only sparsely wooded, stands the

Longinus Tower The Longinus Tower (''Longinusturm'') is a 32-metre-high observation tower located in Nottuln, Germany. It was erected by the Baumberge Club between 1897 and 1901 on the summit of the 182.61-metre-high Westerberg hill. The Longinus Tower is made o ...

(''Longinusturm''), an observation tower about 30 m high that was built by the Baumberge Society between 1897 and 1901. It is made of Baumberge Lime Sandstone.

Views

The Longinus Tower, which can usually be climbed all year round, dominates the Baumberge and is its chief attraction. From its observation deck, which requires a

head for heights To have a head for heights means that one has no acrophobia, an irrational fear of heights, and is not particularly prone to fear of falling or suffering from vertigo, the spinning sensation that can be triggered, for example, by looking down from ...

, there is often a good, panoramic view over the Baumberge and the countryside surrounding this hill country in western Münsterland. From here visitors can see the

Teutoburg Forest The Teutoburg Forest ( ; german: Teutoburger Wald ) is a range of low, forested hills in the German states of Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. Until the 17th century, the official name of the hill ridge was Osning. It was first renamed th ...

(to the northeast), the aforementioned villages, the

Emsland Landkreis Emsland () is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany named after the river Ems. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Leer, Cloppenburg and Osnabrück, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (district of Steinfur ...

(to the north), the

Westphalian Basin The Westphalian Lowland, also known as the Westphalian Basin is a flat landscape that mainly lies within the German region of Westphalia, although small areas also fall within North Rhine (in the extreme southwest) and in Lower Saxony (on the nort ...

(to the east), the

Sauerland The Sauerland () is a rural, hilly area spreading across most of the south-eastern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, in parts heavily forested and, apart from the major valleys, sparsely inhabited. The Sauerland is the largest tourist region in ...

(to the southeast), the

Ruhrgebiet The Ruhr ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km ...

(to the south), the

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

hills and even the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

(to the west). The tower, which can be accessed by road from the surrounding villages, is a good start and end point for walks, short or long, for example into the valley of the

Stever Stever is a river of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It flows into the Lippe in Haltern am See. See also *List of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia A list of rivers of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany: A * Aa, left tributary of the Möhne * ...

. On clear days, hundreds of walkers, cyclists, motorcyclists and car drivers gather, not only to stop at the cafe, but also to enjoy the views.

''Baumbergschnecke''

The Café Longinus by the tower describes itself as "the highest cafe in the Münsterland". From here there are tours on an observation bus, the ''Baumbergschnecke'' ("Baumberge Snail") that crawls through the wooded countryside at 6 km/h. It is a veteran bus that has been converted and extended into a sightseeing bus.

Local places of interest

* Hülshoff Castle (''Burg Hülshoff'') * Baumberge Sandstone Museum (''Baumberger Sandsteinmuseum'') * ''Holtwicker Ei'' * Varlar Castle (''Schloss Varlar'') * Darfeld Water Castle (''Wasserschloss Darfeld'') * the historic village centre of

References

Mountains and hills of North Rhine-Westphalia