Bad Driburg · DE

Nethequelle

In the village core of Neuenheerse, a southern quarter of the spa town Bad Driburg in North Rhine-Westphalia, a small sandstone vault set into a wooded hillside marks the birthplace of a river. This is the Nethequelle, the source of the Nethe, and it is one of those quietly charming spots that rewards a deliberate stop rather than a drive-by. Water that seeps out of the limestone of the Klusenberg here sets off on a 50.4-kilometre journey eastward through the Nethegau and, eventually, all the way to the North Sea. The setting is intimate and unhurried: an arched stone wall dams the spring and lets it spill away in little cascades, stone steps and paved paths climb the planted slope, and benches invite you to linger. A life-size statue of St John of Nepomuk, patron of rivers and bridges, stands on a nearby bridge—a 1767 work that was twice knocked into the stream by road works. Free to visit and open at any hour, the Nethequelle is best enjoyed as a gentle pause en route to the Egge Hills' walking trails and the historic village around it.