Kirchhundem Travel Guide
A detailed destination guide for your next Germany vacation
Kirchhundem Overview
The community of Kirchhundem lies in the Olpe district’s southeast in the south Sauerland and belongs to the so-called Bilsteiner Bergland (mountain region). The Kirchhundem rural areas also include, in the east, the West (Rüsper) Rothaar and part of the Auer Ederbergland, in the south the Brachthäuser Hohe Waldberge (all mountain ranges), in the west the Rahrbacher Mulde (basin) and in the north the Hundemgrund. The crest of the Rothaar forms a watershed between the Rhine and the Sieg. The community’s highest elevation can be found here, the Hohe Hessel at 743 m. The Kirchhundem area is drained by the Hundem, which rises near Oberhundem and flows northwest to the Lenne. The Hundem is fed from the south by the Heinsberger Bach – also known as the Albaumer Bach (Bach is German for “brook”) – whose mouth is near Würdinghausen, the brook variously known as the Brachthauser-, Wirmer- or Flaperbach and the Olpe, whose mouth is in Kirchhundem. The Silberger Bach empties into the Olpe near Heidschott. The Rüspe area east of the Rothaar crest is drained by streams flowing to the Eder.
Where to stay in Kirchhundem?
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Things to See in Kirchhundem
Kirchhundem offers, with its location on the Rothaarsteig trail, which runs from Brilon to Dillenburg (Dillenburg vacation rentals | Dillenburg travel guide), recreational activity that is especially interesting for hikers. As well, there is another trail, the Kirchhundemer Rundwanderweg running for roughly 90 km along the municipal limits. A favourite hiking destination is the Rhein-Weser-Turm (tower) near Oberhundem, from which there are good views over the southern Sauerland.
Schloss Adolfsburg, a Baroque residential castle with a moat, and the amusement park Panorama-Park Sauerland, which is even open in the winter. Entrance to the wilderness park area is then free.
The Theaterverein Oberhundem, an amateur theatrical troupe, presents a folk play every year at Christmastime at the village community hall (Dorfgemeinschaftshalle) in Oberhundem.
The community of Kirchhundem lies within the area served by the Kulturgemeinde Hundem-Lenne e. V. (“Cultural Community”) which customarily offers high-class theatre and concert programmes at the educational centre (pädagogisches Zentrum) in Lennestadt-Meggen.
The Steinacker family’s Oberhundem Embroidery Museum presents embroidery works from several centuries in the historical surroundings of a more than 300-year-old timber frame house.
Pfarrkirche St. Lambertus
Pfarrkirche St. Dionysius
As the oldest parish in the eastern part of the lordly domain of Bilstein, having split away from the mother parish of Wormbach, “Hundem’s” own church, the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, is known to history as far back as 1261. Of the forerunner building, all that still stands now is two bays and the tower’s foundation, which according to cornerstones were built in 1340 and 1470. The old organ with its carving work comes from the years 1701/02 from the Sasse sculpture studio in Attendorn. Today’s Late Gothic parish church was built between 1915 and 1917 by Prof. Joseph Buchkremer during the First World War crosswise to the old Romanesque church. The old church had three naves each with four bays. The south nave’s west bay had two floors and a groin vault.
[ source: wikipedia ]
Maps and Driving Directions to Kirchhundem
Bundesstraße 517 runs through the community.
Rathaus
[ source: Wikipedia]
Related Sites
We collected some useful links related to Kirchhundem. If you know a few more sites not listed here, or also know some insider tips or point of interests for this destination? Please share and submit your Germany travel tip. If approved it will be shown on this page!
- Homepage of Kirchhundem: Kirchhundem (official home page)
- Wikipedia: Kirchhundem
More about the History of Kirchhundem
At its beginnings, the area was held by the Noble Lords of Gevore-Bilstein. Johann II von Bilstein relinquished his lordly claim to Count Gottfried IV of Arnsberg in 1350. After Johann’s death in 1363, however, Gottfried could not assert his claim to the land of Bilstein and it fell to Count Engelbert III von der Mark. As a result of the Soest (Soest vacation rentals | Soest travel guide) Feud, the land of Bilstein, and thereby also the area that is now the community of Kirchhundem, ended up in the ownership of the Archbishop of Cologne (Cologne vacation rentals | Cologne travel guide) in 1445. The area was held by the Electorate of Cologne right up until 1802-1803, its overlordship ending only with Secularization. The former Duchy of Westphalia passed to the Landgrave at Hesse-Darmstadt. He introduced, through many reforms after 350 years of church control, the end of the Middle Ages in the southern Sauerland. After Napoleon’s abdication, Grand Duke Ludwig I also had to relinquish his holdings in Prussia, which he had only acquired a few years earlier. The area was incorporated into the newly formed Prussian Province of Westphalia. Under Prussian governance, other reforms were implemented. Among other things, the Amt of Kirchhundem, the current community’s forerunner, was brought into being in the course of the introduction of the Landgemeindeordnung (“Rural Community Ordinance”) in 1843.
The community of Kirchhundem in its current form came into being on 1 July 1969 on the occasion of municipal reforms. Kirchhundem was assigned areas formerly belonging to the communities of Heinsberg (Heinsberg vacation rentals | Heinsberg travel guide), Kohlhagen and Oberhundem in the old Amt of Kirchhundem, parts of the former community of Kirchhundem and the community of Rahrbach (excepting the villages of Fahlenscheid and Benolpe), formerly belonging to the Amt of Bilstein.
[ source: wikipedia ]
What makes this Live Like a German Kirchhundem Travel Guide special...
This Kirchhundem travel guide provides you with an overview of Kirchhundem, Kirchhundem pictures, and a local travel guide that suggests many special trips, unique activities, and vacation ideas, that you can't find in a typical Germany travel guide.
Some of this information is compiled from popular and well-known sources (e.g., such as Wikipedia, Wikitravel, and great pictures from Flickr). However, what makes this Germany travel guide special is that most of the travel suggestions and insider tips are provided by local residents, property owners, and our readers, who share and submit their travel tips with us. All submissions are then editorially reviewed to ensure high quality. All this information is logically organized within this destination guide to make it easy for you to find things quickly.
In addition, the Kirchhundem destination guide features restaurant recommendations, restaurant reviews, where to go for grocery shopping, sports activities, getting around, cultural events and highlights, entertainment, and health related information - so you are informed for your travel to Germany, and you can learn about all the cool things you can do during your Germany vacation!
