You don't need a magnifying glass to look for clues here: even if they are up to 300 million years old, the relics of the past in the Terravita Nature Park are impressive and hard to miss. Fossils of dinosaurs and cephalopods as well as cultural-historical finds from a legendary battle can be discovered here in the border region between North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony. This density of traces is also the reason for a special award: thanks to the extremely unusual and diverse geological heritage, including the human-influenced cultural landscape, the nature park has been awarded the title of "Unesco Global Geopark". So: there is a lot to see, let's go on a journey of discovery!
Climbing on sandstone cliffs
Whether you're up for an adventure or prefer a quiet and leisurely pace, you can explore the protected area, which borders the Dümmer Nature Park to the north and the Teutoburg Forest/Eggegebirge Nature Park to the south-east, at your own pace and according to your personal taste - on a hike, a climbing tour, geocaching or a guided adventure tour. One popular climbing destination is the Dörenther Klippen, which tower up to 40 meters into the sky near Ibbenbüren. The sandstone cliffs, including the "Hockende Frau" and the "Dreikaiserstuhl", offer hikers and climbers beautiful views over the moor and heathland areas of the North German Plain, the Münsterland and the Teutoburg Forest. The gateway to Westphalia, the Weser breakthrough Porta Westfalica with the Kaiser Wilhelm monument erected during the German Empire, also offers magnificent views. In the visitor center of the landmark, from whose ring terrace the view extends far over the Wiehengebirge, you can find out more about the history of the monumental memorial as well as details about cultural and natural history events in the region. In the direction of the Wiehengebirge, you will also find traces of a world-famous conflict between the Romans and Germanic tribes: at the Kalkriese site, an exhibition presents the current state of knowledge about the Varus Battle.
Dinosaur tracks and giant ammonites
A leisurely walk in Bad Essen-Barkhausen takes you to another highlight of the nature park: traces of at least eleven different dinosaurs can be seen in a steep rock face. The ErdZeitCenter in Borgholzhausen near Bielefeld also impresses with evidence in stone: the exhibition in the Heimathaus and the adjacent GeoGarden, which is open to the public at all times, make a name for themselves with the world's largest collection of giant ammonites, which are fossilized cephalopods, as well as 240 million-year-old dinosaur tracks.
Surprise in the quarry
Elsewhere, quarries provide surprising insights and views: a guided tour through the tunnel of the Silbersee quarry, for example, offers unusual perspectives. There you can see underground traces of crabs, lugworms and footprints of dinosaur precursors. How can that be? There was once a Wadden Sea here and the traces can now be found deep in the mountain range, which was created by the folding up of the rock. The lake of the quarry near Tecklenburg is a supernatural eye-catcher: the water shimmers turquoise blue in the right sunlight. The Teutoschleife Canyon Blick hiking trail leads there.
