Osnabrücker Land

Nature Park and the Varus' Battle

The ridges of the Teutoburger Wald and the Wiehengebirge emboss the Osnabrücker Land. Regenerate in one of the biggest nature parks of Germany. The nature park TERRA.vita belongs to the European networks of nature parks. À propos Europe: European history is embossed twice by Osnabrücks’ country. In the year 9 a. C. Arminius defeated Roman legions near Bramsche-Kalkriese. Relive the thrilling and exiting battle in the Museum and Park Kalkriese.

The peace after the 30-years-lasting war was set in the hall of peace in Osnabrück town hall in 1648. The city still feels obligated to the spirit of the first European peace congress and is very involved in different associations. Building the internationally regarded Felix-Nussbaum-House which presents the worlds largest collection of the Jewish painter, Osnabrück has set more than just an architectural accent.

The Varus' Battle - Museum and Park Kalkriese

There are events in world’s history that can not be called other than legendary. One of them is without questioning the devastating defeat of the roman legions under Varus in the year 9 a.C. Where and how Arminius succeeded offered a lot of speculations and myths. The field between poetry and truth began to clear up when major Clunn found Roman silver coins and other Roman witnesses in the area in 1987/1988. Until today thousands of pieces were found and scientifically analysed. As a matter of fact the battle took place in Osnabrücks’ country in Bramsche-Kalkriese.

The battle presents itself in a completely new way in the museum. You will not only find the building of the museum in a completely new conception of exhibitions but also the 40 meters high tower. Special exhibitions, readings, workshops and programs complete the offers of the museum. Also noticeable are changes in the 24 acres big museum park. In addition to the kids museum a shop with broad assortment is waiting for you in the reconstructed visitors’ centre. Apart from that the idyllic beer garden the restaurant invites you to relax and enjoy – whether you visit the museum or not. Far known are Kalkrieses’ spectacular events – for example the unusual light and sound productions or northern Germany’s unique Roman days.

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Nördlicher Teutoburger Wald – Wiehengebirge (TERRA.vita) Nature Park

What's so special about TERRA.vita? The nature park stretches in two thin green strips along the ridge of the Teutoburger Wald and the Wiehengebirge. It was the first German nature park to become a part of the European Geopark network and is one of the few nature parks in Germany with a wide diversity of landscape types. Soil is the connecting element between the varying landscapes of the park. Dinosaur tracks, Varus' battle, salt water or lakes, all have their origins in the soil and this is the thread running through the park.

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Osnabrück - City of Peace

"Pax optima rerum“ - peace is the highest virtue. This truism, stated in 1648 at the end of the Thirty Years' War, was the central message of the Peace of Westphalia, negotiated in Münster and Osnabrück. Surrounded by narrow mediaeval streets, the historical town hall with its "Friedenssaal" lies in Osnabrück's old town. The marketplace in front of the Rathaus is one of the most beautiful records of urban mediaeval architecture. 1200 years ago, when the diocesan town here was founded by Charlemagne, this was the site where trade routes running from north to south and east to west met on the River Hase. These trade routes are today marked by the motorway and rail routes.

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