Discover Rastede: Palace Park, culture and swimming pools

Rastede combines an expansive park landscape with Neoclassical architecture and a range of leisure activities. Whether you prefer to explore paths through the Palace Park, discover historic architecture or spend time in the water, the town’s different sides give your stay its own particular focus.

Park paths and a landscaped garden

Rastede Palace Park covers 330 hectares today and was created as an English-style landscape park. You can explore it on foot or by bike. Four well-signposted circular walking trails and two distance routes of up to 10 kilometres offer different options for a tour. There is a water fountain at Ellernteich; the park also features horse-head sculptures as works of art. Dogs are welcome, but must be kept on a lead.

The Palais Garden is an approximately 5-hectare garden in the style of an English landscape garden, located opposite Rastede Palace. A walk follows winding paths past open areas, a small stream, stands of holly and conifers. This shows the garden landscape in two different forms: circular and distance routes are the focus in the Palace Park, while the Palais Garden invites you to stroll through its landscaped areas.

Rastede Palace and cultural history

Rastede Palace is the first Neoclassical secular building in the Oldenburg region. The present building dates back to a Baroque country residence, built from 1756 and remodelled in the Neoclassical style from 1779 to 1791 on the orders of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig. J. G. Becker was the architect. Another example of Neoclassical architecture in the Palace Park is the Temple of Venus: this circular building with a domed roof was constructed from 1791 to 1793.

The listed Palais ensemble also hosts cultural events organised by the Kunst- und Kulturkreis since 1999. Those interested in the history of church furnishings will find a baptismal font in the Catholic Church of St. Mary, made from a column base from Rastede Monastery, whose dates are given as 1091 to 1529. The furnishings also include a distinctive statue of the Virgin Mary. The church was built in 1950 and remodelled in 1990. Beneath St. Ulrich’s Church is an 11th-century crypt, built as an undercroft for the count and his wife, the founders of the church.

Golf and swimming pools: different ways to spend your leisure time

At Janßen-Hof in Rastede there is a 5-hectare swingolf course with nine holes. Each hole is between 90 and 300 metres long; the activity is suitable for the whole family. There is also adventure golf on artificial turf: the course has 18 holes with various obstacles, including wooden, water and stone features. The artificial turf means it can be played at any time. The two activities offer different experiences: swingolf is characterised by its long holes, while adventure golf is all about the obstacles.

The swimming pools also differ in location and facilities. Rastede outdoor pool is on Mühlenstraße, right next to the Palace Park. It has a 50-metre swimming pool with diving towers up to 5 metres high, a non-swimmers’ pool with a wide-wave slide and a 50-metre paddling channel. The indoor pool is in the middle of the Palais Garden. Its facilities include a large non-swimmers’ pool with a fun slide, counter-current system and cascading showers; a 25-metre swimming pool with diving towers up to 3 metres high; and a warm-water pool with a depth of 0.30 to 1.35 metres. There is also a whirlpool in the winter garden.

This makes it easy to plan the focus of your day around the experiences you want: park paths and gardens, architectural and church history, golf or the different pools. The tournament ground is also located at the edge of the Palace Park and hosts several major events every year. If you want to combine your visit with a particular occasion, check the relevant event dates.

Rastede offers a range of themes, from walks and cycle paths to culture, golf and swimming pools. You can tailor your search to the activities that interest you without having to commit to just one kind of day out.

Discover more destinations

If you’d like to discover more destinations: Westerstede, Bad Zwischenahn, Apen, Edewecht, Wiefelstede.

Back to the overview of the wider region: Ammerland.