Cycling around Bramsche

Thulani did some more cycling today: Even though in was quite stormy Thulani cycled up the hill into the Wiehen Hills to have a good look at Bramsche from the hills, then he went downhill and crossed the Midland canal (German: Mittellandkanal) towards Bramsche town centre

The Wiehen Hills (German: Wiehengebirge) are a low mountain range in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony in Germany. The hills run from west to east like a long finger away from the main upland area of the Lower Saxon Hills, beginning at the Weser River near Minden and terminating in the vicinity of Osnabrück.

It is the northern apophysis of the German low mountain ranges in the northern low...lands. The highest mountain is the Heidbrink near Lübbecke with an altitude of 320 metres (1,050 ft).

The Wiehen Hills form the northwestern boundary of the Lower Saxon Hills to which they belong geographically, together with the Westphalian part of the ridge. Whilst the eastern end of the hill chain is clearly defined by the Porta Westfalica gorge and the hill of Wittekindsberg, this is not so simple for its western extremity. To the west the Wiehen descends gradually, transitioning from a hilly ridge into a chain of hillocks and then descending almost imperceptibly into the plain. South of Bramsche the ridge rises again at the Penter Egge to a height of 99 metre, but 2.5 km further west it reaches the level of the surrounding countryside. The waterways of the Mittelland Canal and Osnabrück Canal running away to the south mark the end of the hill range.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiehen_Hills

The Mittelland Canal, also known as the Midland Canal, (German: Mittellandkanal) is a major canal in central Germany. It forms an important link in the waterway network of that country, providing the principal east-west inland waterway connection. Near Magdeburg it connects to the Elbe-Havel Canal, making a continuous shipping route to Berlin and on to Poland.

At 325.7 kilometres (202.4 mi) in length, the Mittelland Canal is the longest artificial waterway in Germany.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mittellandkanal

a barrage gate, not sure why you need one of these in a canal.

A smaller branch of the Mittelland Canal running towards Osnabrück starts here in Bramsche , it's called "Stichkanal"

Right at the canal's branch there's a small river/harbour police station

Cycling back to Bramsche along the Hase river

The building of the former cloth-maker guild Bramsche ("Tuchmachermuseum"), a complex with more than 2,500 m2 embodies the history of crafts in Bramsche:

The first Bramsche walk or fullingmill and Clothier’s Guild were founded in the 16th century. The woollen cloth industry started about 1800, manufacturing army cloth which became famous for its “Bramsche Red” (“Bramscher Rot”). Today’s industrial complex was built in the 19th/20th century.

The museum which was opened in 1997 shows machines in operation as well as permanent and alternating exhibitions.

The Tuchmachermuseum won the museum price of the Niedersächsische Sparkassenstiftung as one of the most beautiful museums in Germany in 1998. The presentation of wool processing in the early 19th and 20th century on running machines is one of a kind.

A sign post at the Tuchmacher museum showing distances to some major cities in Germany and to Bramsche's partner cities Raanana (Israel), Todmorden (England), Harfleur (France) und Biskupiec (Poland)

Beautiful houses in the "Mühlenort" area around the museum

The Bramsche library

Spring is finally here!

symbols of peace are found everywhere around Bramsche

St. Martin's church in the town centre

the oldest parts of the church are dated back to middle of the 9th century

"Gaststhof Alte Post" from 1685 - nowadays a restaurant and pub, it's was originally used as way-station for changing horses by the postal services between Osnabrück and Amsterdam.

"Große Strase" - the main street in Bramsche

Münsterplatz in the city centre

Some information about the oldest buildings in Bramsche

Old and new town hall

The new town hall

Hasesee lake

very common sight around bramsche: The Low German house or Niedersachsenhaus (Lower Saxony house).

The Low German house or Fachhallenhaus is a type of German timber-framed farmhouse, which combines living quarters, byre and barn under one roof. It is built as a large hall with bays on the sides for livestock and storage and with the living accommodation at one end. The Low German house appeared... during the 13th to 15th centuries and was referred to as the Low Saxon house (Niedersachsenhaus) in early research works. Until its decline in the 19th century, this rural, agricultural farmhouse style was widely distributed through the North German Plain, all the way from the Lower Rhine to Mecklenburg. Even today, the Fachhallenhaus still characterises the appearance of many north German villages.
 

The most eye-catching decoration of the typical lower saxony "Fachhallenhaus" is found on the point of the gables and consists of carved wooden boards in the shape of (stylised) horses' heads. The boards do serve a constructional purpose in that they protect the edges of the roof from the wind. The horses' heads are attributed to the symbol of the Saxons, the Saxon Steed. Its distribution as decoration on roof ridges is also reflected in the coats of arms of several north Germany towns and villages.