Winterberg Information

Winterberg is divided into 15 districts, which were created in 1975 when the local government went through a reform process. Each district functions much like a township, with Winterberg being the most popular due to its museums.

Winterberg has four sister cities as they're known in the United States, but which are known as twin towns in Germany. These cities share ideas and concepts and work together to make each town better. Twin towns are Le Touquet in France, Rijssen in the Netherlands, Rixensart in Belgium, and Oberhof, Germany.

Winterberg is best known for its winter sports, including the luge. The town prides itself as being one of the centers of winter sports in the Sauerland region of Germany. In addition to the luge, the area is well known for the skeleton track and bobsleigh. Local resident and entertainer Stefan Raab was instrumental in bringing the World Wok Championships to Winterberg in 2003, which is a type of racing using specially crafted sleds (shaped somewhat like a cooking wok) that hold one or four racers.

The Winter Sports Museum in Winterberg is dedicated to the history of the area, especially the history of sports in the town. The museum is open year-round and maintained by local residents. Guides offer tours of the museum and of the surrounding area where visitors can check out some of the important sites relating to the World Wok Championships and other events.

Winterberg is proud of its history as a sporting center and has many outdoor attractions such as the St. George ski jump, which is over 77 feet high. The Mount Kahler Asten area just outside of town is also popular and offers dozens of hiking trails, a museum and nature trails. Visitors may also enjoy the St. James Church, which was built in honor of St. James the Elder and dates to the Middle Ages.