Soest

Soest was a major Hanseatic town whose law was adopted by cities as far away as Lübeck, and it is built almost entirely from a local greenish sandstone called Grünsandstein, quarried nearby, which gives the churches, walls and houses a distinctive olive tone found in few other places. St Patrokli's massive Romanesque west tower dominates the skyline, and St Maria zur Wiese has a modern window showing the Last Supper with a local menu of ham, beer and rye bread. The town keeps a long stretch of earth ramparts and moat. The Allerheiligenkirmes each November is one of the largest town fairs in Europe.

History

The fertile land around Soest was settled long before the town is first mentioned, in the Dagobertsche Schenkung of 836, and excavations have found signs of habitation more than 4000 years old; in the 11th and 12th centuries it grew into one of the largest towns of Westphalia, with some 10,000 people, and it was an important member of the Hanseatic League until 1609. Between 1444 and 1449, in the Soest Feud, it freed itself from the Archbishop of Cologne and allied with the Duke of Cleves, but the victory cost it much of its trade. The painter Peter Lely was born here in 1618, a small Huguenot community was founded in the 1690s, the Thirty Years' War and its aftermath left it with only 3,600 people by 1756, and in 1817 it became the seat of the new Soest district (Wikipedia, Soest, Germany).

What to look for

• The green sandstone - churches and walls in an olive-toned local stone.
• St Patrokli - a heavy Romanesque west tower over the old town.
• The Westphalian Last Supper - a window showing local food on the table.
• The earth ramparts - a long stretch of wall and moat around the town.

When to go

April to October; the Allerheiligenkirmes fills the town in early November and is one of Europe's biggest inner-city fairs. Churches close for services.

Before you go

The fair week takes over the whole centre. Churches have restricted hours. The town is compact and seen in a day.

Nearby

Dortmund lies west; Paderborn is east.

Key facts