City seeks Farmer — Rural Experience Day

Bielefeld — Metropolis by the Teutoburg Forest

Bielefeld, a city of around 339,000 inhabitants, is the economic and cultural center of Ostwestfalen. Nestled between the Teutoburg Forest to the south and the Lipper Bergland to the east — a large city not far from farms and agricultural land. The relationship between city and country is closer here than in many other major NRW cities — and that's exactly what the new "Stadt sucht Bauer" experience day aims to highlight.

Premiere 2026 — the First Bielefeld Rural Experience Day

On Saturday, June 27, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Bielefeld will bring agriculture to the city center for the first time. On three squares — Niederwall, Rathausplatz, and Jahnplatz — an experience route will be created to showcase modern agriculture. The format is new and unusual for a city center — tractors in the heart of the city, a straw castle in front of the town hall, a milk simulator on Jahnplatz.

Straw Castle, Tractor Course, Milk Simulator

The main attractions are sensory and interactive:

• Straw Castle — a walk-in straw bale castle, perfect for children to climb and play in
• Tractor Course — modern and historic tractors will be presented, some inviting visitors to sit in them
• Milk Simulator — a technical cow dummy where children can try milking
• Bull Riding — on a mechanical bull, a playful nod to Western clichés
• Info Booth Mile — agricultural associations, regional product vendors, educational booths on cultivation, animal husbandry, climate protection
• Regional Products — direct marketers from OWL presenting cheese, sausage, bread, honey, eggs, vegetables

Who's Behind It — Bielefeld Marketing + WLV

The organizers are Bielefeld Marketing GmbH (the municipal tourism/marketing organization) and the Westphalian-Lippian Agricultural Association (WLV). This cooperation is programmatic: the city shows that urban identity is also connected to the countryside, and the WLV offers a direct showcase for modern agriculture — far from clichés and polarization.

Target Audience and Occasion

The format clearly targets families, children, students, and teachers — city dwellers who often only know agriculture from the supermarket. Direct conversations with farmers, demonstrations of machinery, and culinary tastings of direct products are intended to break down prejudices and foster understanding. At the same time, it's marketing for regional agriculture — an important economic sector in OWL.

City Center Concept — Three Squares, One Experience Route

Three squares will be used:

• Niederwall — the starting square with the tractor course and info booth mile
• Rathausplatz — the straw castle and stage for official speeches, live music
• Jahnplatz — the family playground with the milk simulator and bull riding

The squares are connected by walking paths — a typical Bielefeld city center trip with a rural accent.