The history of old monastery walls, interesting art and cultural institutions and, above all, plenty of nature to relax in are on offer on this day trip around the towns of Rheine and Hörstel in the northern Münsterland region.
Your day trip by bike today starts and ends at the Falkenhof in the centre of the beautiful Ems town of Rheine. The large historical town museum houses sensational archaeological finds and interesting exhibitions about the lives of the inhabitants of the time. Perhaps you would like to take a look inside at the start of your tour?
Just a stone's throw away at the Ems weir is the Ems Mill, built in 1754 and the last existing mill of its kind on the Ems. If it could, the mill would have a lot to tell about its turbulent past - from numerous fires and destruction during the Second World War to its current use as an electricity generator for the city of Rheine.
Heading north, you leave the city centre via the idyllic Ems cycle path, with the river always on your right. Along the route, you will see two sculptures that were erected as part of the Skulpturbiennale Münsterland 2001.
You soon reach the Bentlage recreational area with the NaturZoo, the Salinenpark with the "Gottesgabe" salt works and the Bentlage Monastery with its cultural landscape. Together, these attractions form the so-called "Bentlage triad". Various themed trails run through the grounds, which can be combined to create beautiful tours. The "Gottesgabe" salt works are well worth a stop and a deep breath - salt is in the air here! You can still inhale the salty air at the historic graduation house, which produced salt for the Bentlage spa until 1952. There are benches and quiet spots throughout the park that invite you to take a relaxing break. In summer, you can also listen to the chattering of storks! The "Dreigiebelhaus" visitor centre provides information about the recreation area and offers guided tours along the salt, monastery and nature routes.
The Café and Restaurant Gottesgabe is located in the former bathhouse of the Gottesgabe salt works. Here you can also relax in the green outdoor area and enjoy a piece of cake.
Another part of the Bentlager Dreiklang is the Bentlage Monastery, which you can reach after just a short drive through the cultural landscape. Nature and culture are in harmony here! The former crusader monastery is now an important cultural centre in the region and offers high-quality exhibitions in the museum and a relaxed atmosphere in the monastery garden.
After these nature experiences and cultural impressions in the Bentlage recreation area, get back on your bike and continue northwards on our circular tour and leave the city of Rheine. As you cross the Dortmund-Ems Canal, the vast Münsterland parkland with its fields, forests and hedgerows opens up before you. Through the district of Dreierwalde, you finally reach Hörstel and along the Hörsteler Aa river to Gravenhorst Abbey, located south-east of the town.
Situated on the slopes of the Teutoburg Forest andsurrounded by park-like grounds with moats, orchards and historic bridges , art has found a home in the former Cistercian monastery. Gravenhorst Monastery is one of the few remaining complete monasteries and is therefore an impressive monument in the Westphalian monastery landscape. As part of the "Regionale 2004 links und rechts der Ems" programme, it was renovated by the district of Steinfurt - with support from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia - and is now a lively art venue with a historical feel. Artists from the region and from all over the world meet amateurs to produce art together. Exhibitions, open art projects and workshops as well as concerts, readings and theatre performances take place here. The park-like grounds of the monastery also invite you to take a long walk - between the moats, through the gardens, to the monastery church and the old monastery mill.
The Café Clara monastery restaurant offers a good range of gastronomic delights and refreshments for everyone - whether art lovers, cyclists or hikers. Especially the beautiful outdoor seating on the sun terrace or in the monastery courtyard invite you to linger in the unique atmosphere of the monastery. Under the motto "Closer - Fresher - Tasty", seasonally adapted dishes and drinks are offered using products from the region. The café has been awarded the Münsterland seal.
Full of new impressions and full of expectation, you get back on the saddle, because the next attraction is not long in coming. As you cross the Mittelland Canal, the so-called "wet triangle" opens up in front of you. The Mittelland Canal and Dortmund-Ems Canal meet at this waterway junction . If you want to enjoy the view of the canal triangle in particular, we recommend a visit to the "Red Box", a bright red information pavilion with a viewing platform.
Our day tour takes you through an impressive avenue to the beautiful town centre of Hörstel-Bevergern. The historic old town centre with its idyllic half-timbered houses, the late Gothic St. Mary's Church and the numerous "Pättken" has retained its idyllic charm. The route leads out of town along the Hemelt stream, past fields and through a wooded area to the picturesque moated castle of Surenburg in the Riesenbeck district. The interior is not open to visitors, but from the bridge at the main entrance to the castle courtyard you can catch a good glimpse of the walls of the three-winged complex.
On the last stage of our day trip, we cycle through vast wooded areas and along fields through the Münsterland parkland back to Rheine. You can enjoy the last few metres of today's circular tour along the beautiful banks of the Ems. Take a stroll through the beautiful historic centre of the Ems town or visit a restaurant to recharge your batteries and look back on the many impressions of the day.
In the farmacia restaurant in the old lion pharmacy on Rhein's market square, where ointments and drops were mixed in the past, you can now indulge yourself with fresh and homemade pizza and pasta.
If you prefer travelling by e-bike, you can hire a bike from the Rheine bike station. The Falkenhof is just a stone's throw away from the hire station, so the starting point of this tour remains the same. You can recharge your battery at the e-bike charging station at Kloster Bentlage.
Saltworks Park
Bentlage Monastery
Gravenhorst Monastery
Surenburg Castle
Hotel Tip:
The small Hotel Freye is located in the middle of the Emsstadt Rheine. The numerous shops, cosy restaurants and lovely cafés are in the immediate vicinity. Via the cycle paths along the Ems, you can quickly reach the Bentlage monastery and the extensive Salinenpark.
Bus and train in MünsterlandPreserving the good together! Use bus and train for your journey and protect the climate and the environment. In Münsterland, this is often much better than you think.
You can find the cycle tour "Monastery, art and parks" and a large number of other cycle tours and sights in the Münsterland tour planner.
Tip: In the Münsterland tour planner, you can plan individual cycle tours according to junctions.
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