Iserlohn Attractions

15km/9mi southeast of Hemer lies Balve. The parish church of St Blasius (Blaise) is a hall-church of the late 12th C., with 13th C. wall paintings. Adjoining the church is the Museum of Prehistory (minerals, fossils, finds from the Balver Höhle).

At the north end of the town is the Balver Höhle (Balve Cave; 80 m/260ft long by 20 m/65ft wide), which was occupied by man in the Ice Age. It is now used as a hall for concerts and other events.

At Wocklum, near the Balver Höhle, is the Luisenhütte, a charcoal-fired smelting works of 1732 which operated until 1865 (open to visitors).

South of St Mary's Church in Iserlohn can be seen the Bauernkirche of St Pankratius (Pancras), originally Romanesque but later rebuilt in Gothic style.

4km/2.5mi west of Iserlohn, on the road to Letmathe, can be found the entrance to the Dechenhöhle (on right of road), a stalactite cave discovered in 1868, with an interesting museum.

At Hemer, 7km/4.5mi east of Iserlohn, is the Heinrichshöhle (discovered 1812), which is accessible for a distance of 350 m/385yd.

Nearby is the "Felsenmeer" ("Sea of Rock"), a series of rocky gorges below tall beech trees.

Southeast of the Bauernkirche in Iserlohn, in the Haus der Heimat, is the Municipal Museum (geology, history of the town and of local industry).

Iserlohn has preserved some remains of its old walls. A little way south of the Markt is St Mary's Church (St Marien), with a Romanesque west tower. It has a Flemish carved altar (c. 1400) and Gothic choir-stalls (c. 1500).