Sauerland

1000 MOUNTAINS, WORLD MARKET LEADER, AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Beautiful forests and meadows in the Sauerland cultural region set the stage for a range of cultural and tourist events, innovative enterprises, and various forms of community engagement.

With the Sauerland’s historical background as part of the Electorate of Cologne, the Sauerland cultural region primarily comprises today’s Hochsauerlandkreis, as well as the neighboring towns and communities. In terms of inhabitants, it’s the smallest cultural region in North Rhine-Westphalia. The Sauerland features vast plateaus and long ridges with deeply carved picturesque river and meadow valleys. Small towns and cities with historic centers are typical here. This region’s economic strengths lie in tourism and its numerous innovative companies, many of which are world market leaders within their respective industries. The Sauerland has a long history as an established cultural region, and traditions are still highly valued. Nonetheless, these traditional values are paired with a fundamental openness towards innovation, which means that customs and creative development are not opposing forces. Cultural activities are largely sustained through social engagement, and you would be hard pressed to find more actively involved cultural associations anywhere else. A “do-it-yourself” attitude defines public life. Social and artistic involvement in musical societies, choirs, and marksmen’s associations plays a major role in shaping the Sauerland cultural landscape. These cultural activities are promoted and supported through networking, collaboration, continuing education, and by welcoming innovative external influences.