Soest Travel Guide — Best Time, Things to Do & Where to Stay

Why Soest

Situated in North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany, Soest serves as the capital of its namesake district. The city is positioned along the historic Hellweg route, roughly 23 kilometers southwest of Lippstadt and approximately 50 kilometers from both Dortmund to the west and Paderborn to the east. Neighboring municipalities include Bad Sassendorf, Möhnesee, Werl, Welver, Ense, and Lippetal.

Human habitation around Soest spans more than four millennia, encouraged by the region's exceptionally fertile clay soil. First mentioned in historical records in 836, the town expanded during the 11th and 12th centuries into one of Westphalia's largest urban centers and subsequently joined the Hanseatic League. Between 1444 and 1449, the city freed itself from the control of Cologne's archbishops during the Soest Feud, though this victory caused the town to lose much of its regional trade. Incorporated into Brandenburg in 1609, Soest suffered significant population losses during and after the Thirty Years' War. In 13th-century Scandinavian literature, legendary tales identified the city under the name Susat as the seat of Attila's empire.

Soest remained a modest town through the 19th century as regional industrialization bypassed it. During World War II, the town contained prisoner-of-war camps and sustained heavy bombing aimed at its major railway marshalling yard and battery plant. After the war, Canadian, American, and British military personnel were garrisoned in the area before military facilities were phased out and repurposed for civilian housing in later decades. Today, the town hosts a prominent campus of the South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences.

Architecturally, Soest is recognized for its collection of historic churches constructed from a local greenish sandstone. The central architectural landmark is the St. Patroclus Provost Church, an early Romanesque structure established after the relics of St. Patroclus were brought to the town in 960. Its massive square bell tower rises prominently above the center of the old town. Saint Peter, the patron saint of Cologne, is represented on the city's coat of arms through the emblem of a key.

Local culture is highlighted by the annual Allerheiligenkirmes, Europe's largest old-town fair, which begins on the first Wednesday following All Saints' Day and runs for five days. Regional specialties include Möppken bread and traditional pumpernickel, which has been baked by the local Haverland bakery since 1570. Visitors can also try Bullenauge, a mocha liqueur popular during the annual fair, as well as Zwiebel-Bier, a local beer brewed at the town's Zwiebel Inn since 1993.