Lüdinghausen is a small town in Münsterland. Its byname is "town of three castles" as the location of Castle Luedinghausen, Kakesbeck and Vischering Castle.

Aerial view of Vischering Castle

Understand

• City of Lüdinghausen Tourism, Borg 2, ☏ +49 25919260. (updated Nov 2020)

Get in

By plane

The closest airport is Dortmund Airport (DTM), 45 km away. It takes 40 minutes by car, and 1½ hours by bus and train (AirportExpress to Dortmund main station, then RB to Lüdinghausen).

By train

The Lüdinghausen station is on the regional train line Dortmund–Coesfeld–Enschede (Netherlands), which is served every hour. The journey from Dortmund Hbf takes 37 minutes, from Coesfeld 23 minutes, from Gronau 1 hr 5 min, from Enschede 1 hr 25 min. The change from long-distance traffic usually takes place in Dortmund. In Dülmen you can change from the Münster – Gelsenkirchen – Essen – Düsseldorf line. It takes 50 minutes from Münster, 1 hour from Gelsenkirchen and 1 hr 10 min from Essen.

By bus

The RVM (Regionalverkehr Münsterland GmbH) buses provide local transport. Lüdinghausen can be reached with regional bus lines from Münster (line S92, hourly, travel time approx. 55 minutes), Senden (S92, 15-25 minutes), Lünen and Selm (line R19, hourly, 50 or 20 minutes).

By car

The next motorway junctions are Ascheberg on the A 1 (Bremen – Dortmund) and Dülmen-Nord or Senden on the A 43 (Münster – Recklinghausen).

By bike

Several cycling paths pass through Lüdinghausen, including EuroVelo 3 (from Trondheim to Santiago de Compostela), the far-distance cycle route from the Ruhr to the North Sea shore, and a beautiful cycling trip from Münster. Moreover, Lüdinghausen is a stage of the 210-km-long southern course of the "route of hundred castles".

See

Lüdinghausen's main sight: Vischering Castle

Lüdinghausen's main attraction are the castles:

• 1 Vischering Castle (Burg Vischering), Berenbrock 1. Apr–Oct: Tu-Sa 10:00 - 13:00 and 13:30 - 17:30; Nov–Mar: Tu-Sa 10:00 - 13:00 and 13:30 - 16:30; closed on Mondays. The Renaissance water castle is one of the best-preserved and most outstanding sites of the Münsterland and pretty much resembles an ideal, fairytale medieval castle. It houses the Münsterland museum. Admission €2.50, children under 18 €1.00.  

Burg Lüdinghausen

• 2 Lüdinghausen Castle (Burg Lüdinghausen), Amthaus 14. Apr–Oct: W-Sa 14:00 - 17:00, Su 11:00 - 17:00; closed during the winter half year. Another Renaissance water castle built in the 12th century, and redesigned in the 16th century. In the main hall, there is an ornamental panel with all the crests of the former owner's ancestors. In the bailey you will find food prices of the year 1573 carved in stone (they are quite surprising!)  
• 3 Wolfsberg Castle (Burg Wolfsberg), Wolfsberger Straße 8. Only one wing of the 16th-century castle has survived. It was recast during the 18th century and is not that well-preserved which makes it the least interesting of the three castles. Nowadays its basement houses a Schlager music bar.  
• 4 Kakesbeck Castle (Burg Kakesbeck), Bechtrup 63 (5.5 km north of town via Hiddingseler Straße). Visits of the castle's interior are possible by appointment only. Yet another water castle, in the village of Elvert that has been merged into the municipality of Lüdinghausen.  

Other sights include:

Borgmühle

• 5 St Felicitas church (St.-Felizitas-Kirche), Mühlenstraße 7. 16th-century Catholic parish church  
• 6 Protestant church (Evangelische Kirche Lüdinghausen), Klosterstraße 2. Small 19th-century Gothic revival Protestant parish church  
• 7 Town hall (also known as "Borg"), Borg 2. Neoclassical brick building. 
• 8 Hakehaus, Wolfsberger Straße 5. One of the eldest houses of the town; constructed in 1648 as a poorhouse. 
• 9 Hof Grube, Tetekum 39. The eldest still-existing farmhouse, dating back to the 14th century. 
• 10 Borgmühle. Historical watermill  
• 11 Jewish cemetery (near parking Steverstraße). Graves were layed out from 1839 to 1936. During the Nazi era, the cemetery was desecrated and tombstones removed. After World War II, they were returned, but not in the original layout.  

Sleep

• Hotel No. 11, Hermannstraße 11, ☏ +49 2591 7949176. 

Nearby

Schloss Nordkirchen

• 12 Schloss Nordkirchen, Schloßstraße 1, 59394 Nordkirchen (8 km southwest of Lüdinghausen, along the "route of hundred castles"). The park is open to public daily all year. Guided tours of the palace on Sundays and public holidays every full hour from 11:00 to 17:00 (summer half year), 14:00 to 16:00 (winter half year). Dubbed the "Versailles of Westphalia" this imposing baroque brick palace was constructed around 1734 for the powerful prince-bishop of Münster (who was however deeply in debt after the works were completed). It is surrounded by extensive gardens that used to rank among Europe's most famous gardens. Nowadays the massive compound is used by North Rhine-Westphalia's college of financial administration. Some parts of the palace are however open to public during guided tours. Admission €3, children 6–14 €1, admission to the park is free.  

Go next

• Dülmen, 15 km to the northwest (9 minutes by hourly local train)
• Münster, 28 km to the north
• Dortmund, 35 km to the south (37 minutes by hourly local train)