Lower Rhine has much to offer
Castles, Christmas markets, nature and endless quirky quirky attractions in between
Special to The Okanagan Weekend
The Lower Rhine region — known as Niederrhein — is part of the larger province of North Rhine-Westphalia. Some of the most important cities in the area are Duisburg, Mˆnchengladbach, and Krefeld.
In addition, there are several small towns and villages that you may not have heard of such as the pilgrimage town of Kevelaer, the cosy Kleve with the iconic Castle Schwanenburg.
Your question is now of course: “what does this region have to offer me as a tourist?” The answer: really a lot! Below I will give you as comprehensive an overview as possible of all the sights and tourist attractions that this German area is rich in. I will start with the larger cities, after which I will tell you more about some of the other pearls in this area, ideal for a day out or a weekend away.
For a mini-holiday you do not have to go far from home, so hop on a flight to Cologne or Dusseldorf and get exploring. Lots of fun is guaranteed! The perfect city trip Let’s start with an overview of the largest cities in the region. Each and every one of them is definitely worth a visit, with interesting sights, museums, typical German buildings, or unique attractions. Duisburg With almost 500,000 inhabitants, Duisburg is the largest city in the region. The cityscape features the prominent Gothic Church of Our Saviour — and you can also shop around to your heart’s content in the centre of the city.
The most interesting attraction of the city, however, is just outside the city centre: the Landschaftspark Duisburg. A former factory and blast furnace, it was abandoned for some time, until it was turned into a park.
It’s free to enter and you can climb the former blast furnace 5, which gives a magnificent view of the region from a height of 70 metres.
Are you a lover of incredible art? Then you should also go to Tiger & Turtle Magic Mountain, a roller coaster staircase designed by Ulrich Genth and Heike Mutter. Yes, you read that right! For me, it was incredible seeing a staircase that goes over your head. You can find it close to Duisburg and it’s definitely worth a quick visit. Mˆnchengladbach The city of Mˆnchengladbach has a little more than 250,000 inhabitants. Those who are looking for sights cannot miss the football stadium of Borussia Mˆnchengladbach ; the impressive Borussia Park. For football fanatics, it is definitely worth a visit. Impressively, it is at the top of the list of with things to do in Mˆnchengladbach!
Other attractions are the small castle/museum Schlofl Rheydt. Krefeld Located on the left bank of the Rhine, we find the city of Krefeld, with a population of just over 200,000. The first thing you will notice is the Weinbrennerei Dujardin Museum , a small museum that takes you into the world of Dujardin brandy. It goes without saying that you must also try a glass at the end of the tour. Prost!
Not far from the centre of Krefeld you will find the picturesque castle that you see on the right: Museum Burg Linn. Places of interest in Lower Rhine In addition to varied city trips, this region offers a few nice, interesting and unique attractions that are definitely worth a trip to Germany. A picturesque castle, an amusement park in a nuclear power plant, romantic Christmas markets and Roman excavations — endless attractions and entertainment can be found here!
Schloss Moyland — a water castle and art museum in one!
This beautiful castle is located in the town of Bedburg-Hau. The village itself offers little attractions for tourists, but not far from the village you will find this romantic castle in an idyllic, natural setting.
As if the decades-old castle — the original building probably dates from the 14th century. There has been a museum since 1997 with the world’s largest collection of works of art by famous German postwar artist Joseph Beuys.
The name Moyland appears for the first time in documents from 1307 and the castle was probably also built somewhere in this century. Over the centuries, the castle has changed owners many times.
For example, in parts of the 17th and 18th centuries, the castle was owned by the Prussian kings Frederick I and Frederick the Great. At that time the castle was also visited by the famous French philosopher Voltaire.
In the following decades, the castle had one owner after another. The last inhabitant of the castle was Adriaan Baron Steengracht von Moyland. In 1990 he donated the lock to the Stiftung Museum Schloss Moyland. Seven years later, the museum was opened to the public after a thorough renovation of the castle.
Today, the neo-Gothic castle houses a unique art collection. The art collection is very diverse with not only visual art, but also graphics and paintings.
The most prominent, however, is the collection of works by Joseph Beuys. Beuys was a visual artist from Krefeld. As a local artist, there is no better location to exhibit his work than in the Niederrhein region, where he was born. Experience Roman times in Xanten Get to know Germany’s largest archaeological open-air museum. The Archaeological Park Xanten takes you to the time of the Romans and lets you experience life during Empire! Itís interesting, educational and lots of fun!
More than 2,000 years ago a Roman legion camp was built in this region at the mouth of the river Lippe in the Rhine. This would eventually become a Roman city called Colonia Ulpia Traiana.
The city was inhabited by Romans and Germans until the fourth century AD, when the Roman Empire lost power and the city was abandoned.
In the Middle Ages, people returned to the area and here formed the city of Xanten. The Roman remains disappeared over the years, until 1935 when the foundations of the ancient amphitheatre were rediscovered. Around this, further excavations were made and large parts of the city from antiquity were found.
Since 1977, the archaeological park has been opened to visitors. Since its founding, the park has not only become a popular location for school trips, but also for lovers of culture, history and Roman history.
Nowadays you will also find the LVRRˆmerMuseum on site. In this museum, there are many exhibitions on the history of the area and the old town of Colonia Ulpia Traiana. Anyone who goes to the archaeological park should definitely pay a visit to this museum! Schwalm-Nette Nature Park One thing I would highly recommend is the beautiful nature park, Schwalm-Nette, located along the German-Dutch border. Water determines the environment here, with many small rivers such as the Schwalm, Roer, Nette and Niers.
As a result, there is a lot of nature, a great diversity of flora and fauna, and it is perfect for tourists who want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city.