Iserlohn & its Guitar Festival: a guitarist's travel guide
Iserlohn International Guitar Festival & Competition · Iserlohn, Germany
For a week each summer the small Sauerland town of Iserlohn becomes one of the great gathering points for the classical guitar. Founded in 1992 and running ever since, its festival and symposium pair a nightly concert series with masterclasses from many of the instrument's leading players, in the green hills east of the Ruhr.
Getting there
Iserlohn sits in the Sauerland region of North Rhine-Westphalia, about forty-five minutes by direct train from Dortmund, the nearest major hub. Dortmund airport (DTM) is closest, with Düsseldorf (DUS) and Cologne/Bonn (CGN) offering wider connections.
Compare trains, buses & flights to Iserlohn on Omio →
Where to stay
The town is small and walkable, and staying centrally puts the evening concerts at the Oberste Stadtkirche within easy reach. This is a place to slow down, with the countryside and its caves and lakes close by.
An interactive map of hotels, apartments and B&Bs across Booking, Expedia, Airbnb and more, centred on Iserlohn.
See stays in Iserlohn →What you'll hear
The heart of the week is the concert every evening, given by international guitarists who are also teaching by day, so the roster reads like a who's who: recent years have brought David Russell, Thibaut García and many more. A solo competition runs across the week to a public final, alongside a guitar-duo competition. For a listener it is a rare chance to hear so many fine players in one small town.
If you play as well as listen, explore Fernando Sor's studies and sonatas on Sheet Music Plus →
Where to eat
Westphalian cooking is honest and filling: Pfefferpotthast, a peppery braised beef, the region's celebrated hams, and dense Pumpernickel rye bread. It goes down well after a long day of music.
While you're there
The illuminated Dechenhöhle dripstone cave, with its cave museum, is right on the doorstep, and the lakes and open-air museums of the Sauerland are a short drive. Dortmund and the wider Ruhr are close for a change of pace. A rental car makes the day trips simple, and GetYourGuide lists guided tours and tickets across the region.
Enter the pieces you play, and GuitarComp shows how your programme maps to this competition's rounds and which other events you qualify for.
See full competition details →Competition dates, deadlines and the current compulsory work change each edition, so always confirm at the official site: guitarsymposium.de.