Iserlohn

Iserlohn is a city in the Sauerland-Siegerland region in Germany.

Iserlohn Old Town Hall Square

Get in

By plane

The closest airport is in Dortmund, about 25 km away.

By train

Iserlohn has a train station that is the terminus of two railway lines. One goes to Dortmund via Schwerte, the other one goes to Essen via Hagen and Bochum. However, it is one of the bigger German cities without any ICE service.

• 1 Bahnhof Iserlohn. Small modern station served by RE16 to Essen, RB53 to Dortmund and RB91 to Hagen. Same platform transfer to local and regional buses.  
• 2 Bahnhof Iserlohn-Letmathe. Small local station opposite the river from Letmathe town centre, served by trains to Dortmund, Essen, Hagen, Siegen. Cafe inside old station building. Platforms accessible by lift.  

By car

If you are travelling by car, Iserlohn can be reached by using the motorway (Autobahn) A 46.

Get around

The local transport system is mainly operated by buses of the regional transportation company MVG. Buses not only operate different routes within the city, but also go to neighbouring towns.

A city map for cyclists is available in the tourist office or can be downloaded here. There is a bike rental for e-bikes at the train station (ask in the bookstore, phone +49 (0)2371-22189). Other bike rentals are: Bike Man Schluckert, Theodor-Heuss-Ring 7, phone +49 (0)2371-20657; Rolf Navel, Hohler Weg 13, phone +49 (0)2371-12966.

See

Old town hall (now used as a library)

Iserlohn offers various different things to see and do:

Sights and landmarks

• 1 Bismarck Tower (Bismarckturm) (From the north end of Seilersee its 1.5 km (0.93 mi) and 130 m (430 ft) of elevation on the walk to the hill top.). 14 m (46 ft) observation platform in a brick tower constructed in 1914, one of many throughout Germany that were erected in honour of the former chancellor. (updated Jun 2024)
• 2 Danzturm. former semaphore tower with a nice view over the city. It can be visited (and climbed) during the opening hours of the neighbouring restaurant.  
• 3 Dechenhöhle (Dechen Cave), Dechenhöhle 5 (take trains RE16, RB91 to Letmathe-Dechenhöhle station). and German Cave Museum: Dechenhöhle is a flowstone cave that was discovered in 1868 during construction works for the new railway line. Today the cave is open for visitors and so is the Cave Museum next door. Cave only open on guided tours. Guided cave tour €9.00.  
• 4 Seilersee. small water supply dam; lake not for swimming, but boating is fine and the boat rental open during the summer months.  

Industrial heritage

• 5 Maste-Barendorf, museum@iserlohn.de. Industrial heritage site. The small village of historic factories is part of the European Route of Industrial Heritage. Here, you find the Museum of Needles where you learn that in the 19th century, more than 100 working steps were required for the production of needles. There are also a number of gallery spaces with changing exhibitions and the original site of a brass foundry.  
• Corn Distillery Bimberg (Gut Lenninghausen). guided tours and Schnaps tastings on request. 
• Altstadt quarter/Obere Mühle. 

Churches

• 6 St. Aloysius. neo-roman basilica completed in 1895.  
• 7 Oberste Stadtkirche. gothic church dating from the 14th century.  
• 8 Bauernkirche. Oldest building in town. The now-Protestant church dates from around 1000.  
• 9 St. Kilian (Located in the district of Letmathe). this neogothic hall church dates from 1914. It possesses a relic from Saint John Paul II.  

Art

• Villa Wessel, Gartenstraße 31. Exhibitions of modern and contemporary art are displayed 
• Städtische Galerie (municipal gallery), Theodor-Heuss-Ring 24. shows regular high quality changing exhibitions with a specialisation in photography. Previous exhibitions were dedicated to the work of Jan Banning, Steve McCurry or Willy Ronis. 

Tourist office

• Iserlohn Tourist Information, Bahnhofsplatz 2 (Is located inside the train station), ☏ +49 2371 2171820. 

Do

• Take a walk on the old town wall. The narrow path is now called Gosengasse and can be entered from either Hans-Böckler-Straße or Westergraben.
• Go for a hike in the woods and mountains surrounding the city centre.
• Celebrate the Schützenfest on Alexanderhöhe and watch the riflemen's parade passing by. The Iserlohn Schützenfest is the biggest folk festival in the region and usually takes place in July, shortly before the school summer holidays start.
• Iserlohn Roosters, Seeuferstr. 25. local first league ice hockey team play in the ice stadium 

Buy

Wermingser Straße pedestrian zone

Most shops are located in the pedestrian precinct which is mainly formed by the streets Unnaer Straße, Wermingser Straße and Laarstraße. Here, you will find department stores like C&A or local stores such as B&U. On Wednesdays and Fridays, a farmer's market opens its booths around the fountain on the new market square and on Schillerplatz.

Drink

• Café Fuchs und Hase: coffee place that also offers brunch and small snacks. Wasserstr. 9. Customers can also get things like deodorant, skin cream and sanitary pads.
• Bar El Ambiente: Tapas bar located in the vaults of one of the oldest buildings of the city. Theodor-Heuss-Ring 24.

Sleep

• Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten, Seilerwaldstraße 10 58636 Iserlohn, ☏ +49 2371 972 0, info@vierjahreszeiten-iserlohn.de. 4* superior hotel located on the banks of the Seilersee. 
• Ruhrtalblick (located on the banks of the river Ruhr). Camp site 

Nearby

Heinrichshöhle

• Heinrichshöhle (Heinrich's cave), Hemer (6 km east of Iserlohn). Limestone cave with fossiles and sceletons of primeval animals. 

Go next

• Altena, Altena Castle is a huge impressive landmark, also home of the worlds first youth hostel
• Dortmund, one of the largest cities of the Ruhr
• Hagen, somewhat gritty former industrial city, gateway between the Ruhr and Sauerland
• Hemer,
• Lüdenscheid shopping and administrative center for the surrounding towns, pitstop before heading further to the rural areas beyond