Easy hikes and walks in Kreis Minden-Lübbecke

The Krause Buche stands not far from the parking lot. The gnarled, rather low beech with willow-like hanging branches and a gnarled trunk is something very special. It is the descendant of the original Krause Buche. Why does it grow so unusually? There is no solid evidence for this to this day. The growth form, by the way, has its own name: Süntelbuchen, named after the largest known population of this beech form in the Süntel near Hameln. This year's State Garden Show in Bad Nenndorf will also incorporate the famous Süntelbuchen avenue, which holds even wilder growth forms. Here, however, the Krause Buche is an absolute lone fighter and has thus been declared a natural monument.

Nice shelter. Here you can take refuge in bad weather or enjoy a relaxing break during your hike.

At the far end of the accessible entrance to the side wings, two sculptures symbolize the cornerstones of the spa: water and health. The entire structure is 84 meters long. Both spatially and visually, the promenade hall forms the almost perfect northern (lower) end of the grand vista uphill to the Imperial Palace (Kurhaus) and simultaneously the smaller vista up to the Theater im Park. The view (in both directions) is breathtaking. Since the central axis of the promenade hall (i.e., its open side) faces southeast, the two colonnades and the semicircular inner courtyard are largely protected from the prevailing westerly winds. It's no wonder that this superbly designed space is one of the city's most popular spots: absolutely perfect for festivals, markets, and cultural events, held several times a year!

Radiantly white, like a temple to healing waters and health, the Wandelhalle (promenade hall) presents itself as perhaps the most beautiful and functional building in the Bad Oeynhausen spa gardens. Built in 1925/26 in the Neoclassical style, the Wandelhalle architecturally completes the historic spa garden buildings. Nearly 70 years after the late-classical Bathhouse I by Carl Ferdinand Busse (1857), the clear formal language of antiquity is once again embraced. The elevated central section, the so-called Trinkhalle (drinking hall), with its six freestanding Ionic columns on the front, resembles a Greek temple. Today, in addition to the traditional dispensing of healing waters, the magnificent hall serves as a venue for concerts, lectures, and panel discussions—a kind of spa town hall. The two side wings, each curved into a quarter circle, consist of a row of shops enclosed on the outside and a colonnade open to the inner courtyard, supported by Doric columns.

What is little known in this country is that Gorgolewski also worked outside of Prussia and left visible traces to this day, especially in southern Poland and western Ukraine (both regions together then belonged to Austria-Hungary as the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria). During the last years of his life (1893-1903), he was director of the Technical University in Lviv. His most important work there is the magnificent neo-Baroque theater and opera house (1897-1900), today the largest and most prestigious in Ukraine.

The magnificent Bathhouse II, originally called Bathhouse IV, was built between 1883 and 1885 in the French Renaissance style. Similar to the late-classical Bathhouse I (by Carl Ferdinand Busse), it has an H-shaped floor plan and a high central dome with the grand main entrance in front of it. However, it differs in its four elevated corner pavilions and its considerably more opulent interior design. The architect was Siegmund (Zygmunt) Gorgolewski (1845–1903), one of the leading figures of Historicism at the time. As a Prussian government architect, Gorgolewski left behind numerous public buildings, primarily in the eastern provinces. He himself came from the then-province of Posen.

Beautiful wildlife enclosure right next to the clinic. You can linger here often.

Nice trail.