The forest sculpture trail leads into the Schmallenberg Sauerland. Flanked by large sculptures by internationally renowned artists, the hiker enters a Bullerbü for young and old. Places of spiritual power await between Wormbach and Wilzenberg. Between Altenilpe and Wenholthausen, the hiker looks down from the Sauerland-Höhenflug into picturesque villages with close-knit village communities that are warm and open to anyone who wants to spend some time sharing Sauerland customs, culture and way of life.
Over 120 villages and hamlets characterize Schmallenberg and Eslohe. Their beauty is perceived by guests as the region's greatest strength. It comes from deep within the village communities. Of course, the villages also nestle picturesquely into the gently swaying landscape on the outside.
Wisps of mist surround old beech trees, an even older well and the base of a young tower standing on an even older rock foundation. A castle once stood on the Wilzenberg between Grafschaft and Winkhausen. Before that, it was probably a pagan place of worship, and later a monk lived here as a hermit. Hardly any other point in the Sauerland has such an intense history. The mountain cone, visible from afar, with its steep flanks and old Buchenwald forests, the 28 m high high cross, a lookout tower, the pilgrimage chapel and the Way of the Cross, radiates a calm power. Without the fog, you would also have a magnificent panoramic view from the tower.
The mist carries hymns and the gentle sound of a bell to my ear. I follow the sound to the pilgrimage chapel. The summer pilgrimage season on the Wilzenberg is just ending there with the Schützen pilgrimage of the district marksmen's association: Flags, green uniforms, marksmen's hats in the summer rain. "There didn't have to be so much holy water," says Pastor Ulrich Stipp from Schmallenberg-Oberkirchen with a smile. "This pilgrimage is so important to the marksmen that they won't let a little rain stop them." After the mass, I get talking to the pastor and he explains: "The Wilzenberg has something special about it in every respect - both locally and spiritually - something that stands out from everyday life. People have felt this way for at least two millennia." But the mountain is not the only place of power with an ancient history. The pastor tells me about the Romanesque church in Wormbach, the mother parish of the region, with its mysterious zodiac paintings under the vault. "There may have been a pagan place of worship in Wormbach before the Christian faith came to the area in the time of Charlemagne," I learn, "especially the funerary paths that were used to bring the deceased to Wormbach from all over the region, from as far away as Soest, testify to the spiritual power of this place."
Naturally, I follow the pastor's advice and take a look at the church. This brings me to one of those extraordinary villages. They have a real center. They are simply beautiful places, a Weide for the eyes: simple, unobtrusive and clear - an expression of the will to create a harmonious, stylistically cohesive and uniform design. But the decisive factor lies beneath the shiny surface: the squares radiate life and show that people really do come together here on a regular basis. The villages in Schmallenberg and Eslohe are an expression of a special form of community. And as a guest, you immediately feel welcome. Those who get involved really do find a temporary home here.
The church in Berghausen, just one village away, is in no way inferior to the much better-known church in Wormbach. Especially since the recent renovation, its wonderful frescoes in the chancel have been magnificently accentuated by new lighting. In this region, centuries-old art meets contemporary art. Many artists, especially from outside the region, have settled in the Schmallenberg and Eslohe area.
The painter Thomas Jessen, who is actually from Düsseldorf, accompanies me along the Sauerland-Höhenflug from Bad Fredeburg to his studio in Eslohe. We have opted for bicycles for this route. Modern e-bikes make it possible to have a relaxed chat the whole way - despite the inclines. If you don't want to hike, you can hire these comfortable means of transportation from the guest information office in Schmallenberg. Today is an extremely clear day and from Gelsterhagen near Altenilpe, our view sweeps over half of the Sauerland. The great views are strung along our route like pearls on a necklace. But they are not what drew the painter to the Sauerland. "For me, it's mainly the smell," explains Thomas Jessen. "It's earthy and strong, somehow comes from deep down and is more intense than in other areas." I ask whether this is also the reason why so many other artists have their studios here and get the answer: "It's probably the area as a whole. The landscape is inspiring. The people have a way of life. Of course, not everyone is open to modern art, but perhaps an above-average number are. The area is also somehow raw and genuine. Tuscany is so beautiful, what else is there for an artist to do? But there is something here that you can rub up against. It's beautiful and crumbling somewhere. It's stony and green at the same time."
Once he arrives at his studio in the former Eslohe train station, he comes full circle to the Schützen pilgrimage. Thomas Jessen has to take a large painting of a shooting queen over to the Eslohe Museum of Machinery and Local History on the other side of the street. Some of his work can be seen there, while his studio is reserved for his creative work. "If you live here," he explains to me, "you can't miss the shooting festival if you want to be part of the community. This custom has nothing to do with militarism. It's a celebration of the community."
Art now hangs between machines in the DampfLandLeute Museum in Eslohe. In the room next to it is an old steam roller. Eberhard König, the owner of the former chain factory that now houses the museum, drove it through the village and enthusiastically rolled wherever there was something to be rolled in his spare time - a Sauerland original and at the same time an expression of the sense of community that characterizes the region: from factory owners to ordinary workers, everyone works together to make the villages what they are, both inside and out.
Klaus-Peter Kappe