Lindlar

Countryside around Lindlar

Lindlar is 20 miles east of Cologne in the centre of the Bergisches Land Nature Park. Like Shaftesbury it has old buildings; the tower of the church dates from the 12th century but it is in the main a post war town with modern housing and small industries. The district of Lindlar, which includes all the surrounding villages, has a population of 16,500, comparable with the population of Shaftesbury and the villages in our area.

The town has first class recreational facilities; nearly 100 miles of marked paths for walking; a leisure park with mini-golf, keep fit course and open air chess; horse riding and a superb swimming pool complete with restaurant, sauna and solarium.

Lindlar is a centre for excursions with the Rhine close at hand and Cologne, Bonn and Dusseldorf within easy reach. The town has a good shopping centre and many restaurants, hotels and guest houses.

Alois Holler

It was thanks to Alois Holler that Shaftesbury is twinned with Lindlar. To Alois Holler from Lindlar, who was held in captivity in England as an 18year-old soldier, the events during the war served as the basis for a new cooperation: As a prisoner of war he had worked on a farm in Shaftesbury. “We belonged to the family, my experiences were positive without exception", he said. When Lindlar was trying to find a twin town in England he recommended Shaftesbury and established the first contacts for the twinning. Click here to see the Lindlar Web Site

The Freilicht-museum

Germany's first ecological open air museum has been open near Lindlar since 1998. The area has been restored to the condition it was in from 1850 to 1900. Old paths and gardens have been laid out and parcels of land have been brought to a normal size, which had been much smaller after the inheritance in the 19th century. A variety of habitats for animals and plants arose through these small sized parcels. These animals and plants once were native to the region of "Bergisches Land". On 25 hectares old domestic plants are now cultivated and former domestic animals, some of which were threatened by extinction, are bred. Farms, residential buildings and workshops from the local area have been rebuilt and integrated into the landscape.

The place itself, the equipment and surroundings are shown in a very authentic way. An important task of the museum is the research and presentation of former working systems. Thus a farmer, a craftsman or a housekeeper show former working techniques and explain how living and working was in those days.

Cologne

This city, about 40mins drive from Lindlar is mainly famous for it’s amazing cathedral, but is well worth visiting for many reasons. Your host may want to take you there and tours are organised on some Twinning visits.

Gimborn Castle

Picturesquely in a valley situated apart of the upper Leppe the romantic former water castle, castle Gimborn stands in the municipality Marienheide in the Oberbergischer Kreis in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Castle Gimborn was pledged in 1273 to the Count of Mark by the Count of Berg. Since 1631 it was a residence of the rule Gimborn Neustadt of the family of black mountain. Since 1874 the investment is in the possession of the barons at Fürstenberg to Gimborn.

Today the castle serves as a conference site and meeting place of the International Police Association. Once a year the castle opens his doors, to the protection festival the Gimborner Saint Sebastianus shooting club.

Lindlar visits Shaftesbury

Twinners from Lindlar with some of their hosts, on a visit to Shaftesbury in 2005