Linnenkerlplatz

Life in the Upland region in earlier times was characterized by hard work and abject poverty; the meager yields from agriculture were barely enough to live on. Besides grain, flax was the main crop grown on the barren soils of the Upland and processed into linen.
Thus arose the profession of Upland merchants, hundreds of whom traveled the countryside well into the 20th century, selling linen products and bringing money home. These "linen men" wore blue linen smocks with white embroidery, carried bales of linen in a basket on their backs, and carried an ell that served as both a walking stick and a measuring stick. The linen men made Willingen They became known beyond their borders and thus laid the foundation for Willingens ascent to the tourism center.