Breckerfeld Farmers' Market

A Hanseatic City in the Sauerland Transition

With around 8,500 inhabitants, Breckerfeld is the smallest but also the highest town in the Ennepe-Ruhr district – and has carried the epithet Hanseatic City since the Middle Ages. Its location and identity are special: on the southern edge of the Ruhr area, transitioning into the Märkisches Sauerland, with historic half-timbered houses around the triangular market square. Anyone visiting the market square for the first time immediately understands its character: compact, walkable, small-town in the best sense.

Since 1988 – A Tradition of Local Agriculture

In 1988, the Local Heritage Association of the Hanseatic City of Breckerfeld and local agricultural associations jointly initiated the Farmers' Market. The goal then, as it remains today, was to bring regional agricultural and forestry products directly from producer to consumer, to strengthen awareness of the local agricultural structure, and to preserve traditions. The market has taken place every year on the last weekend of September since then – so in 2026, it will be at the end of September.

Around 40 Exhibitors, Regional Production

Around 40 exhibitors present themselves on the market square and adjacent open spaces: farm shops with cheese, sausage, meat, and eggs; beekeepers with honey and mead; bakers from the region; pumpkin farms – including the well-known Kürbisfarm Köpke with its selection of edible and decorative pumpkins; forestry with firewood, wood art, and forest products; arts and crafts, and pottery. The NABU (Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union Germany) is represented with an information booth.

Calf Show, Straw Castle, Carriage Rides

The agricultural associations organize the children's and family program: a calf show with young cattle from surrounding farms, demonstrations of feed machinery, a large straw castle for climbing and playing, and traditional horse-drawn carriage rides around the market square. For children, the Farmers' Market offers direct, unfiltered access to agriculture, which is rarely experienced in Hagen, Wuppertal, or Bochum.

Sunday with Open Shops

In conjunction with the Farmers' Market, Breckerfeld's city center is active with a Sunday with open shops: shops open, restaurants on the market square serve outdoors, creating a combined market and shopping atmosphere. Visitors from outside can combine a visit to the Farmers' Market with a short stroll through the town for a relaxed weekend excursion.

Getting There and the Region

Breckerfeld is located in the south of the Ennepe-Ruhr district, about 15 kilometers south of Hagen, 25 kilometers south of Wuppertal, and on the direct transition to the Märkischer Kreis. By car: A 1 exit Hagen-West, then L 528. By public transport: bus line from Hagen Hauptbahnhof. For those who fancy a Sauerland tour, combine the Farmers' Market with hikes around the Glörtalsperre and the Ennepe reservoir.