100 Castles Route - The East Course

Before you start your cycling tour, you should take time to see the sights of the cycling city of Münster. Just let yourself drift through the city. The perfect starting point is the Prinzipalmarkt. The arcades and historic facades will enchant you. Directly on Prinzipalmarkt is the historic City Hall with the famous Peace Hall. The towers of the cathedral and St. Lamberti's Church tower unmistakably over Münster.

Walking through the streets and alleys of the city, you will inevitably come across numerous other historical buildings. Highlights include the Münster Castle and the magnificent Erbdrostenhof. The city's museum landscape is unique. The Picasso Museum, the Museum of Lacquer Art and the LWL Museum of Art and Culture are just a few examples of the wide range of cultural offerings.

Shortly after Münster, it quickly becomes rural and even really idyllic on the banks of the Werse. The landscape is green, interspersed with small villages and numerous fields and meadows. The double mill at Haus Langen attracts just as much attention as the Schloss Loburg in Ostbevern. In May, the rhododendrons in the romantic park of the castle bloom magnificently. You can reach the next highlight almost without climbing: the Herrenhaus Harkotten near Sassenberg is not only particularly picturesque, but also offers a stylish place for a rest with its café.

It is not far to the "horse capital" Warendorf. Here everything revolves around the proud four-legged friends. The highlight is the NRW State Stud, which is well worth seeing and always offers outstanding events. The historic market square is the heart of the town on the Ems. Let the life of the town pass you by during a break and discover the narrow alleys and the decentralised museum of Warendorf for yourself.

Even when you have left Warendorf again on your cycle tour on the 100 castles route, you remain in "horse country". The gentle and flat landscape offers a wonderful panorama of the southern Münsterland. Hedges, small farm forests, an ancient cultural landscape and horses accompany you on the cycle path southwards. The Haus Vornholz near Ennigerloh lies in the middle of this park landscape. The former castle looks back on an eventful history. The castle was not completed until after 1685.

The Castle of Rheda marks the easternmost point of the 100 Castles Route. The castle chapel and the wallpaper room are particularly worth seeing. You should definitely combine your visit to the castle with a tour of the historic town centres of Rheda and Wiedenbrück.

The Haus Geist, the castle ruins of Stromberg, the Haus Nottbeck near Oelde and the Abbey Liesborn of Wadersloh are the next historic buildings before the 100 Castles Route reaches the valley of the Lippe. The Castle Hovestadt awaits you directly on the banks of the Lippe. Get off your saddle and stroll through the beautiful park. In the baroque garden, beech hedges alternate with stately trees - a true oasis of peace. The Haus Assen, dating from 1546, is the second castle worth seeing in Lippe Valley and is always worth a visit.

The "Beckumer Berge" are really just small hills that you can easily master by bike. You will be rewarded with beautiful views over the region. The 100 castles route around Beckum and Ahlen leads through a piece of industrial history. The cement industry has left its mark here. But most of the places have long since blended back into the Münsterland park landscape without denying their past.

Many small rivers and streams now characterise the landscape along the cycle tour towards Sendenhorst. Around the parish church, restaurants and cafés invite you to take a break before the final stage. The Gut Brückhausen near Everwinkel is a wonderful example of the magnificent manor houses in Münsterland. Already within sight of Münster, the Drostenhof Wolbeck forms the final point of the journey through time on the eastern course of the 100 Castles Route.