Teutoburg Forest

The Teutoburg Forest is a range of low, forested hills in the German states of Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. It used to be called Osning until the 1600s. In 1616, people renamed it Teutoburg Forest to remember a very old battle that happened there long ago.

One of the most important events in this area was the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in the year 9 AD. This battle took place near a place called Kalkriese. It was a big moment in history and is why the forest has its name today.

Geography

The Teutoburg Forest is a stretch of low, forested hills in northern Germany’s Central Uplands. It runs from near Paderborn in the south to Osnabrück in the northwest. A gap called the Bielefeld Pass splits it into a larger northern part and a smaller southern part.

The area is mostly covered with forests, with some parts used for growing crops like cereals. The highest point in the southern part is Velmerstot Mountain, and in the northern part, it’s Dörenberg Hill. The river Ems begins at the western edge of the southern Teutoburg Forest.

The forest lies between several nearby landscapes, including the Westphalian Lowland to the west and the Ravensberg Basin to the northeast. Most of it is in North Rhine-Westphalia, with a small area in Lower Saxony.

A long hiking trail named Hermannsweg runs through the forest, stretching from Rheine to Leopoldstal near Horn-Bad Meinberg.

Main article: List of hills in the Teutoburg Forest

History

The Battle of Teutoburg Forest took place in or near this area in the year 9 AD, but we do not know the exact spot. A Roman writer named Cornelius Tacitus called the place saltus Teutoburgiensis, meaning a forest valley in Latin. Newer digging suggests the last part of the battle might have been farther north, at Kalkriese, above Osnabrück.

Near the end of the Second World War, there were some fights in the Teutoburg Forest.

The Teutoburg Forest includes two nature parks:

• TERRA.vita Nature Park, the northwest part between Bielefeld and Osnabrück
• Teutoburg Forest / Egge Hills Nature Park between Bielefeld and the river Diemel

Hermann's Memorial and the renaming of the Osning

Arminius, also known as Hermann the Cherusker, led the Germanic tribes to a big victory over the Romans a long time ago. Because of this, he became a famous hero, especially when Germany was growing stronger after the Napoleonic wars.

To honor Arminius, a very tall statue called the Hermannsdenkmal was built on a hill named Grotenburg near Detmold. The first leader of the united German Empire, William I, opened the statue in 1875. To make this place feel more important, the hills were renamed from Osning to "Teutoburg Forest". A writer named Philipp Clüver first used this new name in 1616, and later it became well-known. But some people still call part of the hills near Bielefeld the Osning.

The famous composer Johannes Brahms liked walking in these forests when he stayed in Detmold.