Soest - Hohnekirche

With a population of about 10.000 Soest was the most important town in Westphalia within the 11th and 12th century.

The "Soester Stadtrecht" ("Soest city law") is the oldes city law, documented in German territory. Soest was one of the most important Hanseatic cities in medieval times. During the "Soester Fehde" ("Soest Feud") it liberated itself from the Bishop of Cologne, who controlled Westphalia.

During and after the Thirty Years' War, Soest suffered a tremendous loss population and influence. At the lowest point in 1756 it had only 3,600 citizens.

Soest has still a couple of wonderful medieval, Romanesque churches, built with the regional greenish sandstone. The "Hohnekirche" (officially "St. Maria zur Höhe") is one of them. The church was built in its present form from 1180 and is one of the oldest hall churches in Westphalia. It replaced an older church here.

The frescoes and wallpaintings of the church were done during three stages between 1220 and 1260. They show very strong Byzantine influence. Some scholars reckon that byzantine artists worked in Soest, as other churches here show similar frescoes.