'Melbecke from its beginnings to the present day'.
Discover Melbecke
Modern country life and living traditions
Perhaps you already know our village from the cinema:
A small scene from the film "Texas - Doc Snyder hält die Welt in Atem" by and with Helge Schneider was filmed here. We know that this is far from being Hollywood, but we also know:
Our small village, a district of Lennestadt, near the Karl May Festival in Elspe and the Melbecketal-Rübenkamp nature reserve, has a lot to offer our guests.
A lively village with a long history
The idyllic Melbeck Valley has been inhabited for centuries, and the local history of Melbecke goes back well into the Middle Ages.
According to Wikipedia, records prove the existence of the village 1313.
In a historical document, our family and our Verse farm, a former feudal court of the Counts of Arnsberg, are mentioned as early as 1307. The number of inhabitants has changed little in the last few centuries. According to a tax register from 1543, the village consisted of an estimated ten houses and about 60 inhabitants in the 16th century. Melbecke today - that's 13 houses, almost 90 residents and almost three times as many horses. A young-at-heart village with a future, no trace of rural exodus:
More than a quarter of the villagers are children and young people. Even if there are not as many full-time farms in Melbecke today as there were 20 years ago, our place remains shaped by agriculture and rural culture.
While around the year 2000 all the families in the village were still living on dairy farming, today there is not a single full-time dairy farm. Instead, there are three holiday farms, two riding businesses with Icelandic horses, a party service business with a cozy room for celebrations, and one farm has been partially converted into a home for children.
Experience tradition together
A proper village has a church and a restaurant.
It's the same here:
Our little village chapel is called St. Catherine of Alexandria and its origins go back to the 17th century. Our cozy Gasthof Bölker is located directly on the popular Ehmsenweg long-distance hiking trail, which has been awarded the “Quality Hiking Trail Germany”.
The circular hiking trails around Lennestadt and Elspe also pass here. That is why there is always something going on in our village pub, not only on Tuesdays, our Heimatabend.
The Gasthof Bölker is a lively meeting place, where locals, guests and hikers come together to fortify themselves with cool drinks and hearty snacks.
Every five years there is a very special day in our village:
The Schnadegang, which is a border inspection like in the old days. All residents circle the Melbeck Valley together on a historic border path, accompanied by many guests, holidaymakers and neighbors from the surrounding towns. Traditionally, we take a break for lunch in the forest at noon. Back in the village, the Schnadegang ends with coffee and cake in the early afternoon, followed by a party. Anyone who would like to experience this historic festival with us is warmly welcome to attend the next Schnadegang.
The time will come again after Easter, 2024
Perhaps you already know our village from the cinema:
A small scene from the film "Texas - Doc Snyder hält die Welt in Atem" by and with Helge Schneider was filmed here. We know that this is far from being Hollywood, but we also know:
Our small village, a district of Lennestadt, near the Karl May Festival in Elspe and the Melbecketal-Rübenkamp nature reserve, has a lot to offer our guests.
A lively village with a long history
The idyllic Melbeck Valley has been inhabited for centuries, and the local history of Melbecke goes back well into the Middle Ages.
According to Wikipedia, records prove the existence of the village 1313.
In a historical document, our family and our Verse farm, a former feudal court of the Counts of Arnsberg, are mentioned as early as 1307. The number of inhabitants has changed little in the last few centuries. According to a tax register from 1543, the village consisted of an estimated ten houses and about 60 inhabitants in the 16th century. Melbecke today - that's 13 houses, almost 90 residents and almost three times as many horses. A young-at-heart village with a future, no trace of rural exodus:
More than a quarter of the villagers are children and young people. Even if there are not as many full-time farms in Melbecke today as there were 20 years ago, our place remains shaped by agriculture and rural culture.
While around the year 2000 all the families in the village were still living on dairy farming, today there is not a single full-time dairy farm. Instead, there are three holiday farms, two riding businesses with Icelandic horses, a party service business with a cozy room for celebrations, and one farm has been partially converted into a home for children.
Experience tradition together
A proper village has a church and a restaurant.
It's the same here:
Our little village chapel is called St. Catherine of Alexandria and its origins go back to the 17th century. Our cozy Gasthof Bölker is located directly on the popular Ehmsenweg long-distance hiking trail, which has been awarded the “Quality Hiking Trail Germany”.
The circular hiking trails around Lennestadt and Elspe also pass here. That is why there is always something going on in our village pub, not only on Tuesdays, our Heimatabend.
The Gasthof Bölker is a lively meeting place, where locals, guests and hikers come together to fortify themselves with cool drinks and hearty snacks.
Every five years there is a very special day in our village:
The Schnadegang, which is a border inspection like in the old days. All residents circle the Melbeck Valley together on a historic border path, accompanied by many guests, holidaymakers and neighbors from the surrounding towns. Traditionally, we take a break for lunch in the forest at noon. Back in the village, the Schnadegang ends with coffee and cake in the early afternoon, followed by a party. Anyone who would like to experience this historic festival with us is warmly welcome to attend the next Schnadegang.
The time will come again after Easter, 2024
