Sightseeing in Paderborn - what to see. Complete travel guide

In eastern North Rhine-Westphalia, tourists can visit a small, nevertheless, interesting city – Paderborn. It is a well-known fact that Germany is a popular tourist destination, and the country welcomes a big number of tourists every year. However, you will never see crowds of foreign guests in this charming settlement. The reason is simple – not many tourists know about this beautiful city. Paderborn is an old settlement that definitely deserves a visit and a walk on its centuries-old streets with numerous landmarks, many of which have survived since ancient times. The Germans living in Paderborn are very religious. All shops and pharmacies close on Sunday, and no one has a right to do laundry on this day. If you fail to follow this rule, locals might complain to your landlord.

Charlemagne ordered to build the first fortress in the area of modern Paderborn in 777. Twenty-two years later, Pope Leo III found shelter in this building after an attack of armed men who had injured him. The coronation of Charlemagne as emperor took place during the same period. This was a period of recovery for the Roman Empire. Paderborn became the center of the local diocese. In 836, Bishop Badurad ordered to move the bones of Saint Liborius to Paderborn as the saint was considered a patron of the region and the bishop power in general.

In 1100, Meinwerk, who was the bishop of Paderborn at that time, became a Prince of the Empire. This event gave a powerful boost to the German city. Meinwerk ordered to build numerous palaces, churches, and dwellings in Paderborn. The city itself became an official residence that was bringing together many noble and powerful people of that time. The territory of the settlement expanded greatly at the beginning of the 13th century. In 1295, Paderborn became a member of the Hanseatic League, and this fast speeded up the development of the city. During the World War II period, Paderborn suffered much damage due to the bombing, but it was fully rebuilt five years later. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

The cathedral is the most majestic building in the city. The ninety-three-meter-tall spire of the church is visible everywhere in the city center. Initially, there was a basilica on the site of the cathedral but it was decided to rebuild it later. The building of the cathedral started in the 13th century. Soon after that, a magnificent cathedral in the Romanesque-Gothic style with elegant facades deprived of any excessive details appeared on the skyline of the city. The shrine got some Baroque elements in the 17th century. The cathedral was renovated and rebuilt a number of times over the centuries, and each of these renovations added something new to the building.

The Paderborn Cathedral suffered much damage during the World War II years when air bombings became frequent in this German city. These bombings were made with the sole purpose of scaring the enemy because there were no important factories in Paderborn, and the German army never had a military camp in the city. When the war finally ended, it took several decades to restore the main landmark of Paderborn. The cathedral is strikingly attractive inside because of the adjacent chapels. Some of the chapels have a simple design, and some of them have posh decorations.

The City Council in Paderborn is another popular tourist destination. This is also an important architectural landmark. The construction of the City Council started in 1613 and lasted almost seven years. Perhaps, this is the most impressive example of the Weser Renaissance style in Germany. Prince Dietrich, who was the Bishop of Paderborn, ordered to build it. Before the City Council, there was an old administrative building on this site. It had been there since 1473. The City Council was also severely damaged during World War II and was fully reconstructed only in 1958.

Would you like to visit the biggest computer museum in the world? This museum is open in Paderborn. The first German computer company - Heinz Nixdorf Computer – was also established in Paderborn. Over the years, the company lost its importance and merged with Siemens and then with Fujitsu. Nowadays, the museum is simply dedicated to the history of computer hardware starting from the first devices for calculation used four thousand years ago until the most up-to-date machines. The museum’s collection is very diverse, so no wonder why there are so many foreign guests who want to visit this museum.

Paderborn has its own airport that receives flights from many large German cities, as well as international flights from large European countries. Tourists from certain parts of the world might need to take a connecting flight with a change in a large German city such as Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, or Munich. The time in transit is roughly five and a half hours. Some travelers may want to buy train tickets to Paderborn. The journey can be very long if you choose to travel from another country using this means of transport.