Tecklenburger Bergpfad: No. 8 in Germany’s Most Beautiful Trail 2026

It’s official: the Teutoschleife Tecklenburger Bergpfad is one of Germany’s Most Beautiful Hiking Trails 2026. In Wandermagazin’s big public vote, the premium circular trail finished 8th in the day-tours category – and it runs right through Brochterbeck, straight past our holiday apartment.

Number 8 among Germany’s most beautiful trails

More than 50,000 hiking fans voted in 2026 – the anniversary year of the “Deutschlands Schönster Wanderweg” (Germany’s Most Beautiful Trail) award. A top-ten finish nationwide underlines what the Tecklenburger Land in the northern Münsterland has to offer, in the heart of the Teutoburg Forest.

Trail facts at a glance

• Length: 10.5 km (circular)
• Duration: approx. 3.5 hours
• Ascent: approx. 229 m
• Highest / lowest point: 181 m / 74 m
• Difficulty: moderate (a basic level of fitness helps)
• Start & finish: “Münsterlandblick” car park, Am Weingarten, 49545 Tecklenburg
• Alternative start: “Alter Bahnhof” car park, Brochterbeck (Bocketal)
• Format: certified premium loop (Prädikatsweg), waymarked throughout
• Good to know: dog- and family-friendly, reachable by bus line R45

The route: around 10.5 km of rock, forest and half-timber

The start is the panoramic “Münsterlandblick” car park above the festival town of Tecklenburg. Right at the beginning, the climb to the Bismarck Tower is rewarded with a magnificent panorama over the Münsterland park landscape. The path then picks up the finest sections of the Hermannsweg and the forest nature trail, where tree wonders from around the world – such as a tulip tree and a weeping pine – can be admired.

Amid lush greenery the walk-on golden staircase sparkles, before the secluded Holthausen forest chapel with its listening station invites a pause. At the striking Blücherfelsen natural monument the trail drops down, crossing the tracks of the Teutoburg Forest Railway into Brochterbeck (with somewhere to stop for refreshments). A narrow meadow path leads to the limestone quarry in the Am Kleeberg nature reserve – a former quarry with turquoise-shimmering water, where wild orchids and blue fringed gentian bloom along the way and, with a little luck, a herd of hardy Bentheim moorland sheep graze.

Deep in the woods you can discover the heathen temple and Roland’s grave, before the “devilishly steep” Hexenpfad (Witches’ Path) climbs back up to Tecklenburg. Tip: to save the punchy final ascent, walk the loop clockwise.

The tour highlights

• Tecklenburg old town – half-timber, lanes and the open-air theatre
• Bismarck Tower with far-reaching views over the Münsterland
• The forest nature trail with tree wonders from around the world
• The walk-on golden staircase and the Holthausen forest chapel
• Blücherfelsen – a striking natural monument on the ridge
• Brochterbeck limestone quarry in the Am Kleeberg nature reserve
• Roland’s grave, the heathen temple and the legendary Hexenpfad
• Nearby: the picturesque Haus Mark moated castle

Right on the doorstep in Brochterbeck

The best part for our guests: the award-winning trail runs straight through Brochterbeck. The former limestone quarry in the Am Kleeberg nature reserve is just a short walk from the hillside holiday apartment with garden and balcony – and the “Alter Bahnhof” car park in the Bocketal is a convenient place to join the loop. After the hike, the day winds down comfortably on the balcony with a view of the greenery – or in one of the cafés and beer gardens in Tecklenburg’s historic old town.

Good to know: the loveliest time for this walk is spring through autumn; the evening light at the Bismarck Tower is especially beautiful. Travelling without a car? Take bus line R45.