Soest Germany (HD)

Soest is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Soest district. After Lippstadt, a neighbouring town, Soest is the second biggest town in its district.
Because of the fertile soil the area around Soest was occupied long before 836 when the village is first mentioned in the Dagobertsche Schenkung, although the origin of this document is historically uncertain. But there is no doubt that Soest has been inhabited for a long time; excavations in the last two decades have uncovered signs of habitation stretching back more than 4000 years. In the 11th and 12th century Soest grew considerably, making it one of the biggest towns in Westphalia with some 10,000 citizens.
Soest has a multitude of historical buildings and attractions. The many medieval churches are build from a greenish sandstone unique to this area.
Among the old specialties of Soest are the Möppkenbread and the Pumpernickel. The Bakery Haverland at the town center, former royal Bavarian court supplier of the dark bread, has existed since 1570. Another specialty of Soest is the Soester Beer, also called "Zwiebel-Bier"(or "Giebels-Bier") which literally translates as Onion beer, because it's brewed since 1993 in the Zwiebel (Onion) inn.