Medebach

Bollerberg, Kahler Asten, Schlossberg and Langenberg - the highest peaks in Westfalen stand in the west as a bulwark against the approaching clouds. Protected by them, Medebach Bay is the warmest and driest Winkeln in the Sauerland - and the Sauerland of the rising sun.

Box seats

While there tends to be a lot of snow in Winterberg, Medebach Bay often remains snow-free even in winter. Immediately east of the highest Sauerland mountains, the land abruptly becomes flatter, more open and gently rolling. The widest views are guaranteed here. And these box seats of nature are complemented by cultural box seats.

Medebach Bay is the Sauerland of the rising sun. Nowhere else on the proverbial thousand mountains of the Sauerland - in truth, there are many more mountains - are there so many spots that are extremely well suited to enjoying the sunrise. One of them has even made it into the circle of Sauerland-Seelenorte. From the Krutenberg above Titmaringhausen, you could see as far as Kassel if there wasn't a mountain ridge on the horizon in the way. In any case, the view extends far into the rest of northern Hessen.

However, the Krutenberg has a small catch: if you want to be up there for sunrise, you have to start at least one hour before sunrise from the hiking parking lot in the village center of Titmaringhausen - two hours is even better, because the morning sky usually offers the most beautiful colors in the hour before sunrise. Follow the Medebacher Bergweg trail from the parking lot up to the Sauerland-Höhenflug and, together with the Uplandsteig trail, a little higher up to the summit of the Krutenberg. In the viewing lodge on the summit, there is also a friendly bench with an unobstructed view of the rising sun.

With a bit of luck, you might even spot some unusual animals on the stage below in the morning. A herd of mouflons is at home there. The wild sheep species was brought to the Sauerland from Corsica in the 19th century and has been enriching the forest and game ever since. Hunters call them "mouflons". Anyone wondering how these friendly wild sheep, which are already lively and in a good mood an hour before sunrise, got this name or why their name has found a new use in "Morgenmuffel", must also ask themselves why one of the most intelligent animals has to be used for the swearword "stupid sow". Unlike four-legged friends, two-legged friends sometimes simply lack an eye for reality.

Those who shy away from the nocturnal mountain tour will find more easily accessible lodges elsewhere - albeit without a soul place and muffle. One particularly easily accessible lodge for sunrise is just above Düdinghausen. From the village center, follow the road "Zum Pön" out of the village. Shortly after the last farm, there is a comfortable forest lounger on the left-hand side with a first-class view of the lodge.

Box seats of a completely different kind are available in the estate of the old monastery in Glindfeld. Gut Glindfeld is not only known for its farm store with delicious game specialties - you can meet Muffel there again in a different guise. Winter events in particular attract visitors to the old monastery estate with the Hohe Mirke villa dating back to around 1900, starting with the November Dreams, which are sometimes held as early as the end of October: a market with autumnal winter art, crafts and all kinds of delicacies.

Highlights are, of course, the concerts of the Kulturring Medebach - in winter in the Jagdzimmer, which is so small that all seats are box seats. To round off our wonderful day in the natural lodges of Medebach, we listen to enchanting music - including music by Sergei Rachmaninov - performed by pianist Ani Martirosyan and cellist Sam Lucas in the cultural lodge in the Villa Hohe Mirke. Together they are the duo Sophos, who will perform the New Year's concert at Gut Glindfeld in 2024 with great passion and musicality. They have put together a wonderful, romantic program that completely delights the audience.

Klaus-Peter Kappe