Art meets monastery | Short trip in Hörstel and Rheine
Art exhibition at Gravenhorst Monastery
© Müsnterland e.V./ Philipp Fölting
Cultural treasures in Hörstel and Rheine
Art meets monastery

Art meets monastery

Travel ideas for culture fans

Experience an art exhibition in a different way. Explore beautiful castles and monasteries. Or a cosy break in the countryside. If this sounds like the perfect short break for you, you should definitely come to northern Münsterland! At DA, Kunsthaus Kloster Gravenhorst in Hörstel, for example, you have the opportunity to take a look behind the scenes of an art exhibition during a guided tour. This experience can be easily combined with a visit to the exhibition at Bentlage Abbey. To round off your trip, you can enjoy the parkland around Surenburg Castle or take a stroll through the historic city centre of Rheine. You can get some ideas here!

Walk at Surenburg Castle

Take a walk in the woods from Surenburg Castle in Hörstel-Riesenbeck. This charming moated castle is believed to have been built around 1400. The castle is surrounded by grounds laid out in the English style, which invite you to stroll and hike through high-stemmed avenues and well-tended forest areas. The grounds of Surenburg Castle are home to the local riding club and host international tournaments and renowned equestrian events.

If you would like to extend your walk, we recommend a detour to the centre of Riesenbeck. On the way, you will pass the Junge-Bornholt farm shop. This is one of many farm shops in the Münsterland region that are a wonderful place to visit, especially in spring and summer. Here you can buy delicious regional products or small gifts. Further into the town centre you will find cafés and an ice cream parlour to fortify yourself.

DA look behind!

Contemporary art interacting with historical walls - the DA, Kunsthaus Kloster Gravenhorst invites you to get to know this exciting combination during an individual guided tour.

As part of the Regionale 2004, the complex was converted into an interdisciplinary art house and given its current name "DA" (abbreviation for Denk-Mal-Atelier). A varied programme of exhibitions, project grants, light, sound and garden art as well as cultural festivals and events attract numerous visitors to the Kunsthaus. The culinary offerings in the monastery's own Café Clara and a stroll through the artistically played green spaces outside round off the visitor experience.

What moving stories are hidden behind the historic monastery walls? How has an art house established itself here? And how are the project grants, the heart of the house, awarded? These and other questions will be answered on this exclusive guided tour. Together with the tour guide, explore the current exhibitions with a view to their process and creation, get into conversation with the artists or curators and take a look behind the scenes. Inspiration and art (enjoyment) are guaranteed during this tour. Afterwards, there will be time to reflect on your experiences at Café Clara.

Notes: The tour will take place indoors and outdoors, so appropriate clothing for the weather is recommended. Getting to know the artists and curators is subject to attendance at the individual dates. Possible dates can be found in the bookable package here! Exclusive individual appointments can be requested with a minimum of 4 weeks' advance booking.

To make the trip perfect, visit Café Clara afterwards. Here you will find many delicious regional treats. The café has even been awarded the Münsterland seal of approval. You can even order a picnic basket here in advance, which you can then enjoy in the park of the monastery.

Rheine: City and country facets in one place

Rheine is the second largest city in the Münsterland region and has experiences to offer for every taste: the tranquillity of nature zones on the outskirts of the city as well as many exciting sights and shopping opportunities in the centre. You can find nature and culture in harmony in the Bentlage recreation area, for example. You should definitely visit the Bentlage Monastery. In the museum of the cultural meeting place you can visit high-quality exhibitions free of charge. You can also take a walk from the idyllic gardens of the monastery to the Salinenpark. Salt is in the air here and promises pure relaxation. How about a visit to the beautiful city centre of Rheine afterwards? Here you can end the day in one of the beautiful cafés with a view of the Ems.

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Bentlage Monastery in Rheine
© Münsterland e.V./ Philipp Fölting
Bentlage Monastery

The late Gothic monastery was founded in 1437 by members of the Order of the Knights of the Cross. In 1806, the property was handed over to the noble family Looz-Corswarem, who converted the former monastery into a castle. This is why it is sometimes referred to as "Kloster/Schloss Bentlage". Today, the house and the café located there attract many cyclists who take a break there.

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The art exhibition at Bentlage Abbey
© Münsterland e.V./ Philipp Fölting
Art exhibition at Bentlage Monastery

Since 1978, the property has been owned by the city of Rheine, which developed it into a cultural meeting place and monastery museum from 1989 to 2000. The highlight of the exhibition there are two reliquaries, which are unique in their state of preservation in the German-speaking world. Sophisticated temporary exhibitions regularly attract numerous visitors.

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The Saleninenpark in Rheine
© Müsnterland e.V.
Saline Park

The Saline Park in Rheine was opened in 2004. The "Gottesgabe" saltworks form the centre of the spa park and provide a beneficial salt content in the air. There are many benches and quiet places in the park that invite you to relax. Various themed paths stretch through the beautiful grounds to the Ems River and provide interesting insights into the history, present and nature of the park.

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The historic market square in Rheine
© Münsterland e.V./ Philipp Fölting
Rheine Centre

Rheine is the perfect place to end the day: Whether it's a stroll through the many shops or a visit to the Apothecary Museum or the Falkenhof Museum. You can also simply enjoy a coffee on the historic market square or stroll along the Ems. So many possibilities...

Map | Hörstel and Rheine

Tips for overnight stays

We recommend the Parkhotel Surenburg in Hörstel-Riesenbeck, right next to Surenburg Castle. In addition to a restaurant, the 4-star hotel has a bathhouse with swimming pool, sauna and fitness area. No wishes remain unfulfilled here. On the edge of the Teutoburg Forest in Hörstel-Bevergern you will find the Akzent Hotel Saltenhof. Idyllically situated between fields and meadows, you can totally relax here.

>>to the accommodation in Hörstel

Tips for eating & drinking

Both hotels have a very good restaurant offer. In addition, you can enjoy regional and seasonal dishes at the Hilckmann Restaurant, which has been family-owned for 170 years. You will also find many Westphalian dishes at the traditional Feldmann restaurant in Hörstel-Riesenbeck. For those who like to get out in nature and go hiking, the restaurant also offers a picnic backpack!

Tips on how to get there

Arrive by train:

Hörstel's train station is very easy to reach by local transport. Coming from Münster, you have to change trains once in Rheine. From Osnabrück, the train goes directly to Hörstel.


Arriving by car:

Hörstel is very easy to reach by car via the A30.

The Münsterland in the blog

The inspiration "Art Meets Monastery The inspiration "Art Meets Monastery
© Münsterland / The Travellette
"The Travellette and a travel tester have tested "Art Meets Monastery" for you

The blogger couple, Laura-Lee and Sascha, from "The Travellette" spent three days travelling around Münsterland for you. Between Rheine and Hörstel, the pair experienced culture and architecture up close. In their blog, they tell their exciting story about "Art meets monastery" and also reveal their favourite places for relaxing evenings.

Travel tester Beate and her husband also went on a discovery tour in northern Münsterland. She reports on this on the MünsterlandBlog.

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