Heek: Village Customs, Church Architecture and the Dinkel Valley
Accommodation in Heek
Heek combines church history, a distinctive January custom and the landscape along the Dinkel. This offers different ways to experience the town: St. Ludgerus preserves visible architectural features, while the Schlöffken custom leads an annual tradition through the village. Just south of Heek, the scenery changes to the nature-rich course of the Dinkel and the adjoining areas. As you plan your trip, you can decide whether to focus more on local culture or on the landscape and cycling.
Architectural History and Customs
The Catholic Church of St. Ludgerus in Heek was first mentioned in a document in 1256. The nave, faced with rubble stone, has been preserved; among its features of art-historical significance is the late Romanesque portal on the south side. The early documentary mention and the surviving architectural elements offer different starting points if you are interested in the town’s history: one points to the written record, the other to its architecture.
The Schlöffken custom has been observed every January for generations. The men walk through the village in Schlöffken attire: they wear a wooden shoe on one foot and a leather shoe on the other; a walking stick and Mettwurst sausage are also part of the outfit. Along the way, they visit the local inns in turn. The Schlöffken statue at Eppingscher Hof commemorates this custom, which dates back to a 19th-century Carnival tradition. An annual tradition and a permanent monument thus represent different aspects of local culture.
Guided Tours and Music Nearby
Guided tours of most of the sights in Heek, Nienborg and the Ahle farming community can be arranged by appointment. You can get information at the Heek municipal service office. If you would like to include a guided tour in your plans, arranging it in advance is the practical first step.
Nearby, the activities of the NRW State Music Academy take place in seven buildings in the Nienborg ring castle complex and in the village of Heek-Nienborg. The Academy’s music centre has three halls; the concert hall can accommodate up to 300 people.
The Dinkel Valley and Cycling Routes
The Dinkeltal nature reserve lies just south of Heek. It covers around four kilometres of the Dinkel’s natural course between Düstermühle in the south and the Oldemölls Venneken nature reserve in the north. The area also includes adjacent stands of trees and extensive grassland. The river, wooded areas and open grassland each shape a different part of this landscape.
When it opened in 2014, the Dinkel Cycle Route west of Nienborg filled a gap in the cycling and hiking network between the Dinkel nature trail and the village.
A Broader Look at Borken
The wider travel destination of Borken offers a broader perspective on cycling. More than 5,000 kilometres of well-maintained cycle paths away from busy roads invite you to explore. Themed cycling routes in the Borken district and MĂĽnsterland include the 100 Castles Route, the Hohe Mark Cycle Route and the Flamingo Route. The MĂĽnsterland junction network allows you to plan flexible tours across state and district borders.
Discover more destinations: Rhede, Gescher, Stadtlohn, Bocholt, Legden, SĂĽdlohn, Raesfeld, Isselburg.
For the broader travel overview: Borken.
