The Wittekindsberg is a hill, , which forms the easternmost peak of the

Wiehen Hills The Wiehen Hills (german: Wiehengebirge, , also locally, just ''Wiehen'') are a hill range in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony in Germany. The hills run from west to east like a long finger away from the main upland area of the Lower Saxon ...

(german: Wiehengebirge) and is also the western guardian of the Weser gorge, the

Porta Westfalica Porta Westfalica () is a town in the district of Minden-Lübbecke, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The name "''Porta Westfalica''" is Latin and means "gate to Westphalia". Coming from the north, the gorge is the entry to the region of West ...

, in

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a States of Germany, state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more tha ...

(

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

). The hill is well-known, especially as the site of the Emperor William Monument (''Kaiser Wilhelm Denkmal''), but also for the Moltke Tower and Wittekind Castle.

Geography

The Wittekindsberg rises at the eastern end of the Wiehen Hills im

Minden-Lübbecke Minden-Lübbecke is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the northeastern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Diepholz, Nienburg, Schaumburg, Lippe, Herford, Osnabrück. Geography This is the northernmost district of North ...

district directly northwest of the village of Barkhausen within the borough of

, and about 6 km south-southwest of the town of

Minden Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the greatest town between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district (''Kreis'') of Minden-Lübbecke, which is part of the region of Detm ...

. It is located due west of the Porta Westfalica gorge (the "Westphalian Gate"), that lies on the northern edge of the

Weser Uplands The Weser Uplands (German: ''Weserbergland'', ) is a hill region in Germany, between Hannoversch Münden and Porta Westfalica, along the river Weser. The area reaches into three states, Lower Saxony, Hesse, and North Rhine-Westphalia. Important ...

and the southern border of the

North German Plain The North German Plain or Northern Lowland (german: Norddeutsches Tiefland) is one of the major geographical regions of Germany. It is the German part of the North European Plain. The region is bounded by the coasts of the North Sea and the Balti ...

and through which the

River Weser The Weser () is a river of Lower Saxony in north-west Germany. It begins at Hannoversch Münden through the confluence of the Werra and Fulda. It passes through the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Its mouth is further north against the ports of B ...

flows from the uplands northwards into the plain. To the east is the Jakobsberg (238 m), which is the westernmost hill of the

Wesergebirge The Weser Hills (''Wesergebirge''), also known in German as the ''Weserkette'' ("Weser Chain"),"Ein anderes Bild als die Bergländer der oberen Weser bieten die ''Weserkette'', das ''Wiehengebirge'' und der ''Teutoburger Wald'', see Christian Deg ...

and the eastern guardian overlooking the gorge. The Wittekindsberg is surrounded by the eastern areas of the

North Teutoburg Forest-Wiehen Hills Nature Park The TERRA.vita Nature Park (german: Naturpark TERRA.vita) is located in the German states of Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia and is divided into northern and southern areas. The park is also known as the ''Osnabrück Land Nature Park'' and ...

that extends from just in front of

Bückeburg Bückeburg (Northern Low Saxon: ''Bückeborg'') is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, on the border with North Rhine Westphalia. It is located in the district of Schaumburg close to the northern slopes of the Weserbergland ridge. Population: 21,0 ...

into the Wesergebirge.

Emperor William Monument

On the east slopes of the Wittekindsberg, at a height of about 210 m, is the Emperor William Monument, built in 1896 in honour of the emperor,

William I William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 1087 ...

. It is a popular destination because it has good views over some of the surrounding hills, the

and the southern part of the North German Plain.

Moltke Tower

About 1 km (

as the crow flies __NOTOC__ The expression ''as the crow flies'' is an idiom for the most direct path between two points, rather similar to "in a beeline". This meaning is attested from the early 19th century, and appeared in Charles Dickens's 1838 novel ''Oliver ...

) west of the Emperor William Monument on the highest point of the Wittekindsberg () is the Moltke Tower, built in 1828/29 as the ''Wittekindsstein''

observation tower An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct long distance observations. Observation towers are usually at least tall and are made from stone, iron, an ...

and, in 1906, was renamed the Moltke Tower in honour of Field Marshal

Helmuth Karl Bernhard von Moltke Helmuth is both a masculine German given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name; *Helmuth Theodor Bossert (1889–1961), German art historian, philologist and archaeologist *Helmuth Duckadam (born 1959), Romanian forme ...

(1800 to 1891). From its observation deck at a height of 13.9 m, there are views of the surrounding hill country as well as the

Weser Depression The Weser Depression (german: Weserniederung) or Weser Lowlands is the region north of Porta Westfalica in Germany, where the River Weser no longer flows through a valley, but a broad plain consisting of meadows and river terraces. The flat plain ...

and the southern fringes of the North German Plain.

Wittekind Castle

Around 450 m due west of the Moltke Tower at about is Wittekind Castle, a former

refuge castle A refuge castleCreighton, Oliver (2015). ''Early European Castles''. Bloomsbury. or refuge fort (german: Fliehburg, also ''Fluchtburg'', ''Volksburg'', ''Bauernburg'' or ''Vryburg'') is a castle-like defensive location, usually surrounded by ramp ...

with its nearby Wittekind well, now dried up. In 1996, within the

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

and

Early Medieval The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...

refuge castle the foundations of the Church of the Cross (''Kreuzkirche'') were discovered which, thanks to conservation measures, are now open to the general public. Near the foundations is the Chapel of St. Margaret (''Margarethenkapelle'') from the 12th century. An inn (built in 1896/96) attracts hikers and walkers in good weather.

Transport links

Near the Wittekindsberg the B 61, B 65 and B 482 federal roads cross one another. These provide links to the A 2 and A 30 motorways not far to the south as well as side roads that lead to the hill. In addition the Wittekindesberg is linked to the

Deutsche Bahn The (; abbreviated as DB or DB AG) is the national railway company of Germany. Headquartered in the Bahntower in Berlin, it is a joint-stock company ( AG). The Federal Republic of Germany is its single shareholder. describes itself as the se ...

railway network by Porta station, which is part of Porta Westfalica and situated at the western foot of the Jakobsberg on the east bank of the Weser. The Wittekindsberg is covered by a good network of

walking trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. T ...

s, including the European long-distance path E11 from which the points of interest on the hill may be reached.

Sources

*Heinrich Rüthing: ''Der Wittekindsberg bei Minden als »heilige Stätte«. 1000 bis 2000.'' Verlag für Regionalgeschichte, Bielefeld 2008. (Religion in der Geschichte, Bd. 15)

External links

* {{Coord, 52, 14, 48.85, N, 8, 53, 26.10, E, type:mountain_elevation:281.48_dim:200_region:DE-NW, display=title Mountains and hills of North Rhine-Westphalia