In the woods between Willebadessen and Lichtenau lies the "Alte Eisenbahn" gorge. With its rugged cliffs and dark pools, it has the wild and romantic appearance of a mountain gorge;
However, the name "Old Railway" indicates that this is not a gorge formed over millions of years, but an abandoned construction site. The area, which is under nature and monument protection, is a ruined construction site dating back to 1847/48. The Köln-Minden-Thüringische-Verbindungs-Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft wanted to run the Hamm - Warburg railroad line through the Eggegebirge mountains with a 600-metre-long railroad tunnel. Unfinished due to the financial ruin of the company and superfluous after the route was changed, the railroad tunnel, which was already a third complete, lay fallow. The tunnel was later blown up to protect it from danger. The rugged, water-filled incision of the tunnel accesses is still clearly visible today.
Excavations were carried out at the old railroad tunnel in Willebadessen in 2017. Archaeologists from the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe excavated the remains of a guard's house and opened up buried shafts in the Eggegebirge mountains as part of a joint project with Kiel University. 2016 saw the premiere of "underwater archaeology" in the old tunnel construction site. Guided tours of the construction site, including on Open Monument Day, met with great interest. The historical site with the enormous historical significance of the railroad tunnel is to be used to draw attention to the cultural and scenic features of Willebadessen.
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