The river rises northwest of Halle (Westf.) on the Große Egge, crosses the Hermannsweg, flows through the villages of Hesseln and Hörste in Halle borough, then through the borough of Versmold through Oesterweg, continuing through the town of Sassenberg and along the southern edge of Milte in the borough of Warendorf, before emptying into the Ems near Warendorf-Einen.
Kernmünsterland includes the city of Münster (less the northeast part) to the north, the district of Coesfeld (less the extreme west with Coesfeld and Billerbeck) to the west, the district of Warendorf (less the north with Sassenberg, Warendorf-Nord, Telgte and Ostbevern) to the east the centre of the historic Münsterland.
In September 1852 the family moved to Sassenberg in Warendorf, where Louise Schücking felt alien and unhappy, as a Protestant in a strict Catholic environment.
It is situated approximately 6 km north-east of Warendorf and 30 km east of Münster.