Belm brings together several travel interests: hiking trails, glacial erratic boulders, prehistoric burial sites and the seasonal autumn fair. The options range from themed circular trails to long-distance hiking routes; the landscape and rocks offer a different perspective from local architecture and festival culture.
Hiking trails with different focuses
There are four TERRA.tracks in the municipality, with a total of 30 kilometres of trails. Including its variant, the TERRA.track Gattberg has ten trail stations along a 4.3-kilometre route. The Schwarzkreide Erlebnisroute (Black Chalk Experience Trail) has a different focus: this 3.5-kilometre circular trail has seven stations explaining where and how clay and black chalk were mined in the past. At 3.5 and 4.3 kilometres, the lengths of the two routes described are quite similar; the Schwarzkreide route is specifically designed as a circular trail, and its stations focus on historic mining.
The Wittekindsweg long-distance hiking trail runs through the municipality of Belm and through Belm-Vehrte. The gentle foothills of the Wiehengebirge hills invite visitors to enjoy extended hikes and bike rides around Belm, with recurring views of the surrounding area. This means the outdoor experience extends beyond the individual trails and circular routes: longer hikes and bike rides are also part of the landscape described here.
Glacial erratics and geological history
Belm is part of the TERRA.vita Nature and Geopark. Nearby, between Belm and Vehrte, the “Steinernes Meer†nature reserve lies on the wooded Gattberg. It is home to numerous glacial erratics, deposited around 200,000 years ago toward the end of the penultimate glacial period, the Saale glaciation. The approximate date and origin of these boulders give this landscape a geological focus. The Butterstein is also nearby: a granite boulder weighing around 70 tonnes, originally from Scandinavia.
Prehistory near Haltern
Near Haltern, the Sloopsteine are the remains of a large burial chamber. One of the six original capstones is now missing; the supporting stones on the south side are fully intact. The trapezoidal ground plan of the Stone Age structure is still clearly visible. The Sloopsteine are among the best-preserved prehistoric tombs. Here, the focus is on a burial chamber built by people, its surviving stones and its still-visible shape—a distinct cultural-history highlight alongside the glacial erratics.
The autumn fair as a seasonal attraction
The Belm Autumn Fair has been held for over 100 years and takes place on the second weekend in October. It is held at the Belmer Tie and increasingly also along Lindenstraße, the so-called “fair mile.†The showmen offer rides, shooting galleries, food stalls and sweets. This seasonal festival adds to the hiking and landscape attractions. If you would like to plan your trip around it, check the programme for the relevant year in advance.
In the wider Osnabrück destination
If you expand your search to the wider Osnabrück destination, you will find additional cultural and landscape attractions. At the Tuchmacher Museum Bramsche, fluffy woollen blankets are made on operating machines that are over 100 years old. At the Museum and Park Kalkriese, exhibits on the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest are presented using multimedia and are open to visitors. In Bad Iburg, the treetop walkway offers a forest experience along a route of almost 600 metres; its more than 30-metre-high, barrier-free entrance tower provides panoramic views of Iburg Castle and the Teutoburg Forest. The walkway and its exhibition pavilion also offer insights into the geological history of the Teutoburg Forest and are part of the UNESCO Global Geopark TERRA.vita. The Osnabrück destination therefore offers a range of themes, from traditional craft production and exhibitions on the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest to forest and geological history.
Discover more destinations: Merzen, Glandorf, Hesepe, Rieste, Bippen, Bad Iburg, Atter, Alfhausen
Return to the wider travel overview: Osnabrück.
