Paderborn
Unique natural idyll
The Pader springs in the heart of Paderborn amidst inviting green spaces. In the three spring areas, the western, central and eastern Pader spring areas, around 200 springs gush forth, which are grouped together in several spring basins. They pump an average of 5,000 liters of water per second. This makes them some of the most water-rich springs in Germany. The six spring streams flow through the north of the city center and merge into the Pader before the Altstadtring. After just over four kilometers, in the district of Schloß Neuhaus, the Pader flows into the Lippe, which has less water.
The formerly heavily built-up Pader spring arms between Mühlenstraße and Paderhalle have been developed into a dynamic, attractive and species-rich water landscape. The courses of the Pader have been renaturalized, Inselspitzenweg and Haxthausengarten have been redesigned and a floodplain behind the Reinekemühle mill has been created. The various branches of the Pader have been reconnected and made more accessible. For example, a small footbridge allows visitors to see a bubbling spring up close. Seating and a new lighting concept invite you to linger along the newly designed paths. At a viewing platform at the Stümpelsche Mühle mill, you can view the confluence of the Pader spring arms.
The central Paderquell area was awarded the 2020 Federal Prize for Urban Greenery in the "Built" category and first prize in the "Exemplary Buildings" category at the Polis Award 2020.
