Edewecht – Moorland, Mills and Church Art

Edewecht combines moorland and cycling routes with church art and a history of milling. To help plan your trip, consider a simple question: would you mainly like to explore the outdoors, or also discover historic buildings and their stories?

Moorland and Cycling Routes

Edewecht has well-marked cycling routes. Options include the Mill Route, the Moor Route and the Ammerland Route. Route 7, “Moorland in Ammerland,” passes the Vehnemoor, where peat is still extracted. A cycling trip here brings you face to face with both the landscape and the use of the moor. Routes and signage can change, so check local conditions before setting off.

Vehnemoor covers approximately 48 hectares. Fintlandsmoor covers 141 hectares in total, 50 hectares of which lie within Edewecht. You can reach and cross Fintlandsmoor via surfaced sandy paths. The two areas therefore differ in size, and the area of Fintlandsmoor within Edewecht is also specified. Here, too, it is advisable to check local path conditions before your visit.

Churches, Mills and Local History

The caps of the rib vault in St. Nikolai Church feature late-medieval wall paintings. The Passion altar is dated to around 1520/25 and attributed to the workshop of the Master of Osnabrück. The free-standing wooden bell tower also tells a more recent story: after being destroyed by a fire during the war in 1945, it was rebuilt in 1950.

Two bergfrieds (medieval defensive towers) have been preserved in Edewecht. They served as fortifications for farms or other estates. The Koker windmill offers another glimpse into the area’s milling history: it is a reconstruction, built in 2000, of a windmill dating from 1879 that once stood in Edewecht. Visits and guided tours are available there throughout the year by appointment.

Tollhus up’n Wurnbarg was once a customs post between Ammerland and the Oldenburger Münsterland. Today, it displays numerous exhibits on the history of farming in Ammerland. Visits and guided tours are available year-round by prior arrangement. Please arrange your visit to the Koker windmill or book your visit to Tollhus in advance.

From the “Turm eines Träumers” landscape viewpoint, the view extends to a Dutch-style gallery windmill dating from 1880 and a modern wind farm from 2000. The contrast between the historic mill and the more recent wind farm adds another perspective on the use of wind to the area’s history.

Local Flavours and the Wider Region

Sausage specialities are also part of Edewecht. On selected days, factory outlets are associated with the long-established producers Meica and Bley. Check the opening days in advance if you would like to include this culinary aspect in your plans.

In Apen, within the wider Ammerland destination, lies the only freshwater tidal flat in the northwest. It was created in 2005 when a dike was relocated to form a retention area for potential flooding from the Aper Tief. Regular flooding of parts of the terrain, caused by the ebb and flow of the tides, creates distinctive flora and fauna in the area designated as a nature reserve. This natural feature belongs to Ammerland, not Edewecht.

The Ammerland Route is also among the cycling options mentioned in Edewecht. In the wider Ammerland destination, it is a 165-kilometre circular route through the park landscape, with eleven shelters along the way where you can take a break. When choosing accommodation, you can consider whether Edewecht’s combination of cycling routes, moorland and local history is your main focus, or whether you would like to include other aspects of Ammerland.

You can also include Klein Scharrel as another place to visit in the Edewecht destination.

More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Westerstede, Bad Zwischenahn, Apen, Rastede, Wiefelstede.

Return to the main travel overview: Ammerland.