Paderborn's historic core is compact and walkable. The cathedral quarter — where the Pader springs bubble up from over 200 sources and the medieval cathedral anchors the old town — is the natural starting point. The church of St. Bartholomäus nearby has one of the oldest hall church naves in Germany.
The Pader springs themselves are a distinctive feature: a short, fast river that rises right in the city centre and flows only a few kilometres before joining the Lippe. Watching the water surge up through the ground in the Stadtpark gives a vivid sense of why humans have settled here since prehistoric times. The annual Libori festival in late July turns the whole city into a fairground.