Towing Service Bielefeld

The largest city in East Westphalia-Lippe

Bielefeld sits on the watershed between the Weser and Ems rivers. The north and north-east, including the city centre, lie in the hilly Ravensberg basin, immediately south of which the Teutoburg Forest runs from west-north-west to east-south-east through the city. For your location, position relative to the Teutoburg Forest matters: districts like Brackwede and Sennestadt lie behind the ridge, separated from the centre by gradients.

The Ostwestfalendamm

The Ostwestfalendamm is an inner-city expressway from the Südring in Brackwede to the A33 (Bielefeld-Zentrum exit). In the centre lies the 535-metre Ostwestfalen tunnel, with one tube per direction. It runs from the Eckendorfer Straße/Walther-Rathenau-Straße junction under the Hannover–Ruhr area rail line to the start of the Ostwestfalendamm near the Ernst-Rein-Straße slip road. A 60 km/h limit applies in the tunnel, enforced by fixed speed cameras in both directions. If you break down in the tunnel, see our guide Breakdown in a tunnel and tell us your direction and the nearest slip road.

A33: Osnabrück, Bielefeld, Paderborn

The A33 connects Osnabrück, Bielefeld, Paderborn and, together with the A44, also Kassel. It starts north-east of Osnabrück in Belm, passes east of Osnabrück, crosses the A30 at the Osnabrück-Süd interchange, and runs along Georgsmarienhütte, Hilter am Teutoburger Wald, Bad Rothenfelde and Dissen. Towards Bielefeld there are notable climbs near Borgloh/Kloster Oesede and shortly before Hilter, and a steep descent before Dissen. In a breakdown on a climb: hazard lights on, move well to the side, see Breaking down on the motorway.

The A2 north of the city

The A2 runs from Oberhausen via Dortmund, Bielefeld, Hannover, Braunschweig and Magdeburg to the Werder triangle on the Berlin ring. For Bielefeld, that means: the A2 runs north of the city, not through the centre. If you break down there, tell us the exit and direction.

Waiting safely in Bielefeld

On the A2 or A33: hazard lights on, everyone behind the crash barrier, set up a warning triangle if it's safe to do so. In the Ostwestfalen tunnel: don't turn around or reverse, drive to the next emergency bay if you can, otherwise hazard lights on and raise the alarm via the emergency equipment or 112. On a climb in the Teutoburg Forest: apply the handbrake and engage a gear, hazard lights on before you get out.

Where it often happens in Bielefeld

On the A33, the climbs near Borgloh/Kloster Oesede and Hilter, and the descent before Dissen, can overwhelm brakes and clutch if driven badly. In the Ostwestfalen tunnel, traffic often brakes before the speed camera. At the edge of the Teutoburg Forest, where roads climb steeply out of the centre, problems are more common in wet or icy conditions.

How to describe your location in Bielefeld

• District and street, plus house number or cross street.
• On the A2 or A33: number, direction, exit or interchange.
• On the Ostwestfalendamm: slip road, tunnel, or direction of travel.
• In the Teutoburg Forest: street and whether it's a climb or descent.

Other major cities in the region: Dortmund and Hanover. All cities: Towing service in your city (German).