Discover Rheinau: Culture, Architecture and Nature

Rheinau combines cultural and historical discoveries with themes around building and living, as well as trails into the Rhine floodplains. Highlights range from the Rhineau-Gambsheim fish pass to the Rheinau Museum and World of Living. This variety is useful when planning your trip: you can combine exhibitions and collections with nature and outdoor activities without limiting your stay to a single area of interest.

Fish, river regulation and reintroduction

The Rheinau-Gambsheim fish pass is one of Europe’s largest. An exhibition in the visitor centre explores the facility’s design, the regulation of the Rhine, the reintroduction of salmon and the species of fish found in the Rhine. A self-guided tour follows a circular route and takes about 45 minutes. The exhibition is available in French, German and English. Visitors can touch and feed the fish. If you are planning your visit for a specific time, check the latest visitor information before setting off.

Local history in a half-timbered house

The Rheinau Museum is housed in a half-timbered building dating from 1745. Its permanent exhibition documents the history of Rheinau and its districts. Tools and equipment illustrate the cultivation and processing of hemp and tobacco. An extensive collection of ship models focuses on canal and Rhine navigation, from its beginnings to modern push-tow convoys. Local history, agriculture and the development of shipping thus offer different ways to explore the past.

Architecture, living and experiences

As a building, housing and adventure park, World of Living in Rheinau brings together architecture, modern living, nature and entertainment. At the Universe of Time, a presentation takes visitors through 20,000 years of building and living history. In Erlenpark, a treehouse offers views across the grounds; there is also a large adventure playground, an 800-square-metre biotope and a lake. The Hall of Creation provides more than 3,500 square metres of exhibition space for materials, designs and living ideas. Historical perspectives therefore meet examples and themes of modern building and living.

The Rhine floodplains and the wider region

Hiking and cycling trails cross Rheinau and lead into the Rhine floodplains. Numerous churches and historic chapels also attract visitors interested in art. Nature experiences and culture are thus two distinct sides of discovering Rheinau.

For a broader overview, it is worth looking at the wider Ortenaukreis travel destination. Ortenaukreis lies between the Rhine and the Black Forest. It has 23 nature reserves covering a total area of around 3,110 hectares, stretching from the Rhine Plain to the higher elevations of the Black Forest. The region also offers Rulantica, which provides water-based fun for the whole family all year round, with indoor and outdoor water attractions as well as the Hyggedal relaxation and sauna area. Europa-Park is located in the municipality of Rust. These destinations represent different regional highlights from Rheinau’s museum, architecture and nature themes.

Choose accommodation to match your travel focus

Base your accommodation search on whether Rheinau itself or the wider region is guiding your choice.

Discover more destinations: Friesenheim, Oppenau, Offenburg, Kappel-Grafenhausen, Biberach, Mahlberg, Ichenheim, Achern

Go to the wider travel overview: Ortenaukreis.