Cittaslow

Tine and Stefano da Ros came to Lüdinghausen from Berlin via Canada - and all because of Cittaslow

"Seriously? Now there's a heron sitting there too?" For Tine and Stefano da Ros, Lüdinghausen is sometimes too good to be true. When they go for their morning jog along the Stever river towards the Südwiese meadow, this is exactly the thought that crosses their minds. "It's just so beautiful here. So much water, so much green. A city where we can reach everything on foot and by bike. Small, but with city life and culture," enthuses the couple.

This is exactly what the couple were looking for when they asked themselves where they wanted to live. For the two Berliners by choice, it was clear that the bustling capital would only be a stopover. "When we were traveling in Canada for six months during our sabbatical, we thought about whether we wanted to build a life there," says Tine da Ros. They traveled around the country and worked on various farms. Canada, because Stefano da Ros grew up there and his family lives there.

Wolfville has grabbed them

However, they soon became disillusioned: most cities were not worth living in, life there was far too expensive, part-time work was out of the question and they only had 10 days of vacation a year. Then they discovered Wolfville - a small town in the far east of the country. "And it was very different. Very pedestrian and bicycle-friendly, a bit alternative, somehow European," recalls Stefano da Ros. "We liked it there straight away." They did some research on the web and discovered that Wolfville is a Cittaslow town. They did more research and quickly came to the conclusion: "Cittaslow - that's exactly our thing. But preferably in Germany."

Why Cittaslow? "Because the goals that Cittaslow cities have committed themselves to are precisely the goals that will continue to make the world worth living in for our children," explains Tine da Ros. "Sustainable environmental policy and urban development, protecting the diversity of flora and fauna, preserving traditions and culture, promoting regional markets and products and much more."

Klutensee scores

Back at home, they looked up which Cittaslow towns there are in Germany, made a list and visited one town after another. "And Lüdinghausen ended up at the top of our list," says Tine da Ros. Growing up in Brandenburg, it was very important to her that there was a local lake. "We love lakes and have already been swimming in the Klutensee quite often," says the 34-year-old. Other points in Lüdinghausen's favor: lots of nature even in the middle of the city, everything is easy to reach without a car, a great car-sharing service, the proximity to Münster. And the biological center. This immediately appealed to Tine da Ros as a project manager in climate and environmental protection.

Lucky with the apartment search

In November last year, they visited the Steverstadt for ten days and stayed in the living room of Alois Schnittker and Angelika Pax-Schnittker. "They gave us a very warm welcome and passed on their love of the city to us," say Tine and Stefano da Ros, recalling their wonderful vacation days. "We got to know the evening market, the sauna at Klutenseebad, went on a night watchman tour and visited an exhibition at Lüdinghausen Castle. The full program. We were immediately impressed and had a good gut feeling." As the two work from home, Stefano da Ros works as an IT specialist in the hydrogen industry, they spontaneously decided: Let's pretend we want to move to Lüdinghausen, look for an apartment and see what happens. They promptly found an apartment, and one with a garden. "That was a sign," they both say with a laugh. And now they have been living in Lüdinghausen since the beginning of February.

"We've already met lots of great people and have really settled in here. Lüdinghausen already feels like home." Both are looking forward to discovering much more in the town and the surrounding area. "We've already heard that we absolutely have to celebrate carnival in Olfen. And we haven't been to a shooting festival yet either." Nadine Wenge