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Germany

North Rhine-Westphalia

Detmold District

Kreis Minden-Lübbecke

Minden

Wittekindsquelle Porta Westfalica

Discover

Places to see

Natural Monuments

Germany

North Rhine-Westphalia

Detmold District

Kreis Minden-Lübbecke

Minden

Wittekindsquelle Porta Westfalica

Highlight • Natural Monument

Wittekindsquelle Porta Westfalica

Recommended by 147 hikers out of 156

This Highlight is in a protected area

Please check local regulations for: Natur- und Geopark TERRA.vita

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Location: Minden, Kreis Minden-Lübbecke, Detmold District, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

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Tips

Angelina Kuhlmann

March 23, 2021

Not much of the temple-like border at the time of Kaiser Wilhelm II can be seen today, but the Wittekindsquelle on the Häverstädter Berg is still a popular excursion destination. Because there are some myths about the Wittekinds springs in the Wiehengebirge.

Translated by Google •

JR56

February 11, 2025

The Wittekindsquelle spring lies within the Wittekindsburg ramparts and bubbled until 1938, before the underground water-bearing layers were interrupted by iron ore mining.
It is believed that the spring was already a sanctuary in Saxon-Franconian times and thus provided the basis for building a rampart castle on top of the mountain.
A legend tells that Emperor Charlemagne and the Saxon Duke Wittekind met at the Wittekind Chapel and argued about their different religious doctrines. Finally, after Wittekind had asked Emperor Charles for a sign of the truth of his faith, the emperor's horse pawed the ground with its hoof.
From then on, the spring is said to have bubbled at this spot.
This impressed Wittekind so much, according to legend, that he had himself baptized.

heimatverein-bergkirchen.de/wittekindsquelle

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Moonbeam🌜

April 24, 2022

The Wittekindsquelle is located within the ramparts of the Wittekindsburg. The existence of this spring was probably an important prerequisite for the construction of the La Tène hill fort.

The spring developed into a popular excursion destination in the second half of the 19th century. In the Wilhelmine era, the spring was elaborately provided with a temple-like stone grotto. A semi-circular relief was placed above the grotto, which was provided with a lattice. Widukind's horse uncovering the spring was shown on the relief. A water basin was also created below the spring. The relief depicting the miracle of the spring was later stolen and has since been lost.

From the mid-1930s, increased mining activities to extract iron ore began in the Wiehengebirge. Also in the Wittekindsberg area, several new tunnels for ore mining were dug. Mining disrupted the underground water-bearing strata and ultimately caused the Wittekindsquelle to dry up in 1938.

Today only the remains of the originally elaborately designed spring grotto have been preserved.
Source: Wikipedia

Translated by Google •

May 31, 2023

According to Wikipedia, three sources are possible for the Wittekindquelle, Lübbecke, Porta Westfalica and Bergkirchen - see de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wittekindsquelle
The source, which had only been laboriously tapped in the 19th century, dried up due to mining activity in the 1930s, see de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wittekindsquelle_(Porta_Westfalica)

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Len3

April 19, 2024

In the footsteps of Wittekind...
The Saxon prince did not make life easy for Charlemagne and his Christianization project. Mind you, early medieval Saxony is not the same area as today's federal state of Saxony.

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Elevation 230 m

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Saturday 15 November

9°C

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100 %

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Max wind speed: 20.0 km/h

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Location: Minden, Kreis Minden-Lübbecke, Detmold District, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

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Wittekindsquelle Porta Westfalica

1. Moltke Tower (Moltketurm) – Kaiser Wilhelm Monument loop from Porta Westfalica

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