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Have a good time in Gütersloh County! 

Recreation, sports, culture – the district of Gütersloh has a lot to offer! Are you looking for relaxation and want to escape from the wild hustle and bustle of everyday life? Then let your mind wander – in the Gütersloh Botanical Garden, the Gartenschaupark (Garden Park) of Rietburg, and in the Flora Westfalica in Rheda-Wiedenbrück (a garden park connecting the towns of Rheda and Wiedenbrück), slowing down and taking it easy are guaranteed!

There’s also no need to travel far to be athletically active – simply go biking along one of the many cycling paths throughout the county. On the EmsRadweg (Ems Bike Path), the BahnRadRouten (Train Track Bike Paths), or the Grensgängerroute (Border-Crossing Route), to name just a few, you can enjoy nature to its fullest.

For those who prefer walking, we recommend hikes through the Teutoberger Wald (Teuroberg Forest) with magnificent views of the Ravensberger Hügelland (hill country). The “Hermannshöhen” (Hermanns Heights), one of the “Top Trails of Germany,” offers a network of hiking trails of exceptional variety. The “Weg für Genießer” (“Path for Connoisseurs”) is a 95-kilometer (~60-mile) trail connecting five towns with one another, and offers hikers many sensational surprises along the way. The “Rundwaderweg” (Loop Trail) offers an optimal addition to the “Hermannshöhen” (Hermann’s Heights) long distance hiking trails.

After so much movement, your creature comforts are also owed their due. Quaint farm cafes invite you to enjoy a pleasant break with fragrant coffee, homemade cakes, and other homemade specialties.

The district of Gütersloh also offers many cultural highlights. Its leisure and cultural calendar includes lots of variety, everything from jazz concerts to the Gerry Weber Open Tennis Tournament in the HalleWestfalen – the only ATP grass tennis tournament in Germany.

The Minden-Gübbecke Mill district shines with graceful landscapes and idyllic villages, charming excursion possibilities, and a broad offering of cultural events.

Forty-three wind-, water-, and horse-driven mills as well as the only functional ships mill in Germany – this unique “open-air museum” extends throughout the entire region. The Wesergebirge and Wiehengebirge hills, moors, parks, Weser river, and the Mittellandkanal characterize the landscape. The Weserbergland ends here, and the North German Plains begin – and high on the Wiehengerbirge, at the Porta Westfalica, the monument of Kaiser Wihelm I greets you. This varied landscape can easily be explored by bike, for example along the 320-km (~200-mile) “Mühlenroute (Mill Route) or by hiking on the Mühlensteig, an approximately 65-km (40-mile) hiking trail that passes by 10 of the restored mills.

Another natural asset of this district is the healing powers of the soil, clean air, and beautiful landscape that justify the reputation of the Westphalian spa-like region. Bad Oeynhausen, a renowned center of health and spas, offers a wide range of state-of-the-art health therapies and one of the most beautiful spa parks in Germany. Embedded in the harmonious landscape are unique cultural and historic features. At the center lies the 1200-year-old town of Minden with its massive cathedral, the Wasserstraßenkreuz(aqueduct and water bridge, where two waterways cross one another), and monuments of Prussian Classicism and Weser Renaissance. And scattered throughout the entire region are many old palaces and manor houses. Every one of the eleven towns and communities in the mill district has its own particular charm. Come! Get to know us!

The “City of Peace” right in the middle of a natural park

The message is in the name: the negotiations and the conclusion of the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 are the most prominent events of the city’s history, and this tradition still lives today. Every October, approximately 1,200 fourth graders ride their homemade hobby horses over the steps of City Hall in remembrance of the announcement of the Peace of Westphalia, ending the 30 years of religious war in the area. City tours, including the popular “Night Watchman” tours, always begin at the historical benches within the Freidensaal, the great hall (Saal) where the various envoys met to negotiate the Peace (Freiden). In March 2015, the European Commission awarded their European Heritage Label to the City Halls of Osnabrück and Münster as “Sites of the Peace of Westphalia.” This award honors places that have played a significant role in the history of Europe. From 1412 onwards, Osnabrück was a leading member of the Hanseatic League. The old trade routes through the inner city are now modern lively shopping promenades, and the city owes its flair to the juxtaposition of modern buildings, such as the Felix Nussbaum Hause, and the quaint narrow streets of the Heger Tor (Heger Gate) quarter of the old city center. The heart of the city is the Market Place – the site of weddings, festivals, the Christmas Market, and weekly outdoor food market. Before the coulisse of reddish-yellow gabled manor houses, cafes and restaurants take their tables and chairs outside so you can enjoy excellent pastries or something savory with views overlooking City Hall and the lovely Marienkirche (Church of St. Mary).

Osnabrück is the only large German city to lie right in the middle of a natural park – the Nature and Geopark TERRA.vita

Varus and the Germans, garden dreams and country parties

In the first low mountain ranges of Germany’s Northwest, the Osnabrücker Land enriches the TERRA.vita nature experience in many ways: via exciting encounters with world history, numerous cultural and culinary highlights, as well as via exciting possibilities for active vacationers.

For example, the Teuto-Ems “Grenzgängerroute” (cross-country route), a premium ADFC (General German Bicycling Club) four-star cycling route in the region, follows historical paths to the Schloss Iburg (Iburg Palace) on a spur of the Teutoburg Forest, to other small castles, and to welcoming courtyard cafes serving field-fresh culinary delights such as asparagus, farm-produced hams, or fresh strawberries. Moreover, three of the four health resort towns of the Osnabrück Land are located along the route. With just a single spa card, you can enjoy all the thermal baths, spas, Salinas, spa parks, and other vitalizing offers in Bad Laer, Bad Iburg, Bad Rothenfelde, and Bad Essen. And speaking of parks, the most beautiful of them can be visited along the GartenTraum (Garden Dreams) Tour. This 170-km (106-mile) bicycling tour connects about three dozen gardens and parks – from lovely private gardens to museum display gardens, including the Dyers Garden at the Tuchmacher Museum and the Botanicum of the Kalkriese Museum and Archeological Park at the site of the “Varusschlacht” (Battle of the Teutoburg Forest). The world-famous exhibition shows a turning point in the history of the world and the everyday life of Romans and Germans at the beginning of the first century.

The Eisenzeithaus (Iron Age House) in Ostercappeln-Venne, shows how the people here lived before the invasion of the Romans 300 years BC. You can experience the country life of later centuries at the uniquely grand half-timbered houses in Artland and in numerous historical mills. Most of them are driven by the power of water, as there are numerous springs in these lowland mountains.

Recharge your energy in Tecklenburg Land

Excellent hiking trails with magnificent panoramic views, exciting cycling tours, romantic half-timbered houses, and many cultural attractions – the Tecklenburg Land offers many opportunities to take a deep breath and recharge in untouched nature, and to leave everyday life behind. Gentle hills, beautiful mixed forests, bizarre rock formations, quiet peat and bog landscapes: the Tecklenburg Land, situated in the foothills of the Teutoburg Forest, belongs to one of the first three Premium Hiking regions in Germany, and promises hiking of the highest standards. In addition to the dense network of certified Teuto-loops that combine nature and cultural enjoyment, the “Herrmannsweg” (Herrmann’s Route) provides great views of northwest Germany’s low mountain ranges. A hike on the traditional “Jakobsweg” (St. James Route, Way of St. James) is an excellent way to gather your first pilgrimage experience in the Tecklenburg Land.

The picturesque landscape is also a bicyclist’s paradise. The network of bike trails is quite varied, very diverse, and interspersed with many sightseeing landmarks. In addition to the various thematic cycling routes, including the “Sagenroute” (Trail of Myths), the “Töddenland” (Traveling Salesmen) Bikeway, or the “NaTourismus” (Nature Tourism) Routes, there are countless other possibilities to explore the region by bicycle. Thanks to a very well-developed network of rental and charging stations for e-bikes, you can even explore the region totally relaxed with an electric tailwind!

Those you who prefer it rustic or quaint, this is perfect for you – idyllic villages filled with half-timbered houses and numerous museums, historical buildings, and Germany’s largest open-air musical theater invite you to spend exciting hours here. For even more variety, there are a range of leisure activities – whether riding a steam train, climbing, golfing, or riding a Segway, in the Tecklenburg Land, everyone gets their money’s worth!