Obernkirchen brings together nature, striking views, and architectural and industrial history. Its distinctive features include dinosaur footprints, a sculpture trail through the town, and the history of sandstone and mining.
Dinosaur Footprints: Nature Trail and Footprint Slab
The Dinosaur Footprints Nature Trail has nine information stations about dinosaurs, forests, nature, and sandstone quarrying. The topics range from footprints and habitats to the extraction of the stone. Access to the footprint slab includes a ramp suitable for visitors with a stroller or walking aid. If your mobility requirements are a deciding factor, check accessibility on site. Near the slab, the former building of Brake Shaft 7 now serves as a bat roost.
Mountain Views and Route Options
On the mountain hike, the view from the Bismark Oak viewpoint takes in the Schaumburg Forest and the Wiehen Hills. The starting points for the Two Streams Trail are the Sonnenbrinkbad and the car park at the golf course. A golf facility in the Liethbach Valley offers sweeping views across the North German Plain. The difference is clear when choosing: the mountain hike features one viewpoint, while the Two Streams Trail has two starting points. Check the current conditions before planning a visit to the golf facility.
Sandstone and Industrial History
The sheepfold is a grain store incorporated into the collegiate wall of Obernkirchen Abbey around 1350. Obernkirchen sandstone was used in Minden Cathedral, Cologne Cathedral, and the Peace Palace in The Hague. The entrance to the Lieth Tunnel dates from 1902, and the briquette factory from 1906. The approximately 25-kilometre Industrial History in the Schaumburg Region cycling tour leads to former industrial sites and traces more than 500 years of hard-coal mining. Along the way, there are repeated views across the vast Schaumburg Plain.
Art and Town History
The sculpture trail runs through the town and features works created during nine sculptors’ symposia. The museum also includes the Bornemann locksmith’s workshop from 1830, the historic garden of the Brockmann family, and the old watermill on the Aue in Vehlen. This selection spans crafts, gardens, and milling history, broadening the perspective beyond individual sculptures.
Regional Context: Schaumburg
The wider Schaumburg destination can be reached by car, train, and, via the Mittelland Canal, by boat. An important east–west railway line runs through the district; stations are located in Stadthagen and Bückeburg, with smaller stations in Lindhorst and Kirchhorsten. In the northeast, the district borders Lake Steinhude near Hagenburg; to the south, the Weser River and the Weser Uplands shape the landscape. The highest elevation in Schaumburg district, at 378 metres above sea level, is in Goldbeck, a district of the town of Rinteln. The Weser Renaissance Route is a guide for art and history enthusiasts. For a different route length, the wider Schaumburg destination offers circular trails in the Liekwegen Old Quarry: 1.7 and 2.3 kilometres. Five stations currently explain the importance of the quarry habitat and its biodiversity.
Discover more destinations: Rinteln, Sachsenhagen, Wölpinghausen, Meerbeck, Lauenau, Auetal, Bad Nenndorf, Rehren
Back to the main travel overview: Schaumburg.
