The town is nearly completely encircled by forest, and the nature park Arnsberger Wald lies to the north".

There is also a regional airport, located in the city district of Vosswinkel, which is exclusively used for small private aircraft.

The municipal territory spans a distance of up to 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) from the southern to the northern limits.

Arnsberg Castle was reconstructed by Johann Conrad Schlaun as a residential palace and hunting lodge for Elector Clemens August of Bavaria.

During the Second World War, Arnsberg first suffered widespread destruction and catastrophic loss of lives when RAF Lancasters breached the dam of the Möhne Reservoir in the night of the 16 to 17 May 1943 (Operation Chastise).

Later, dozens of Arnsberg's citizens were killed in several British air raids aimed at destroying the railway viaduct.

[citation needed] In recent years Arnsberg's Muslim minority grew considerably.

Founded in 1987 and devoted to contemporary art, Kunstverein Arnsberg has presented solo exhibitions by artists including Georg Baselitz, Thomas Ruff, Karin Sander, Dan Perjovschi, Boris Mikhailov, Gregor Schneider, Erwin Wurm, the Turner Prize winner Susan Philipsz and the Marcel Duchamp Prize winner Laurent Grasso.