Gronau (Westf.) between music history, an island park and a lake

Gronau (Westf.) combines music history with an exceptionally designed park and waterside experiences. The rock’n’popmuseum, Inselpark and Dreiländersee each offer something different: you can focus on culture and city life or make time for the lake, trails and countryside.

Music history in Inselpark

The rock’n’popmuseum features a multimedia exhibition with sounds, images and artefacts. It is located on the grounds of Inselpark, close to Gronau train station and the city centre. The museum, central parts of the city and the park are therefore among the key landmarks for a stay in Gronau. The museum is accessible to visitors with disabilities, with a lift, an accessible toilet and sturdy wheelchair ramps. As operational details may change, check the latest information about the facilities before your visit.

Inselpark was created on the former site of the van Delden spinning mill. Canals divide it into individually designed islands, making its former industrial use the starting point for a distinctive park design. From the top of the LAGA pyramid, you can see across the entire Inselpark and the city centre. If you include a guided tour of Gronau, you can also follow a route through the Inselpark grounds and the city centre. The tour explores Gronau’s transformation from a textile town into a music town; check the latest dates in advance if you plan to join.

Attractions and active experiences

In front of the rock’n’popmuseum is a water maze with numerous water features. Water jets rise from the ground at varying intervals. Another experience awaits at the former stair tower of the van Delden ring spinning mill: it is 19 metres high and has two climbing walls with different levels of difficulty. The city park’s animal park is home to numerous bird species as well as coatis, monkeys, donkeys, goats, porcupines and fallow deer. The experiences range from music and industrial history to wildlife and activity.

The water tower and the Udo Lindenberg monument are also among the city’s distinctive landmarks. The water tower is a prominent symbol of Gronau, visible from far away. The monument stands in the middle of Gronau at a roundabout on the old B54 federal road and makes a good photo opportunity. It adds another musical reference to the cityscape, while the tower stands out as a landmark from a greater distance.

Dreiländersee: swimming, walking and cycling

Dreiländersee connects the Netherlands, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. The 28-hectare lake is registered as an official EC bathing water and is regularly tested and monitored by the public health department. In the summer months, there is a bathing area with a white sandy beach and a water playground. As this area is seasonal and facilities may change, it is advisable to check the latest information before your visit.

A trail of about 2.9 kilometres runs around Dreiländersee, making it a good option for a walk. If you are looking for a longer nature route, you can follow the 10.5-kilometre hiking trail that starts at the lake and passes through 740 hectares of moorland and heath. Low dune ridges, wet moorland heaths and habitats for meadow birds shape the landscape, with two observation towers along the way. These routes differ considerably in length and give you a clear basis for deciding how much activity to include in your stay.

A cycling route leads from the Inselpark grounds via Dreiländersee, past the De Oelemars bird sanctuary and along the Dinkel back to Gronau. The Dinkel Project Losser–Gronau has also created paths, boardwalks and bridges for cycling and walking along the newly redesigned Dinkel. The Laga Route follows the paths of the first cross-border state garden show, held in Gronau and Losser in 2003, and connects the two towns. Together, the circuit, the paths along the Dinkel and the connection between two towns offer different ways to plan a tour.

Choosing Gronau as your base

The museum, guided tour and city centre make for a cultural focus, while the lake, hiking trail and cycle paths invite you to spend more time outdoors. You can factor these differences into your decision without trying to combine every experience into a single day’s itinerary. If you want to bring several interests together, the mix of music history, park design and countryside offers different starting points for planning your trip.

In the wider travel destination of Borken

The wider travel destination of Borken also offers a regional perspective that extends explicitly beyond Gronau. In Borken district, the well-developed cycle network covers more than 5,000 kilometres and runs away from busy roads. The district borders the Dutch regions of Achterhoek and Twente for 108 kilometres, making cross-border excursions possible. These details apply to Borken district; they do not describe individual routes or facilities in Gronau.

Discover more destinations: Borken, Stadtlohn, Südlohn, Schöppingen, Velen, Vreden, Gescher, Ahaus.

Back to the wider travel overview: Borken.