Castrop-Rauxel: Industrial Heritage, Architecture and Cycling Routes

From mining landmarks to distinctive buildings and signposted cycling routes, Castrop-Rauxel has many different sides. Industrial heritage, architecture and theatre history add cultural highlights, while routes through the town and surrounding countryside offer an active counterpoint. When planning your trip, you can start by considering which of these themes you want to shape your stay.

Industrial heritage and historic buildings

At Ickerner Knoten, a miner statue, a headframe wheel and the nitrogen column document Castrop-Rauxel’s mining past. Schloss Baldenhorst is a 16th-century moated castle that can be viewed from the outside. Haus Goldschmieding is open to the public as a castle restaurant and is set in a sculpture park. The visiting experiences therefore differ: at Schloss Baldenhorst, the focus is on the exterior, while Haus Goldschmieding combines the castle’s use with a restaurant. At the historic site of the Henrichenburg Landscape Archaeological Park, the castle’s walls, buildings and towers have been reconstructed.

Architectural forms and cultural history

The Church of St. Anthony in Ickern has a parabolic shape and was designed by Alfred Fischer between 1922 and 1925. The Art Nouveau houses on Altstadtmarkt feature individually varied natural-stone façades. They date from around 1912 and are considered a unique example of their kind in Westphalia. Comparing them brings the variety of architectural design into view: a striking church form on the one hand, and changing façades on the other.

The Westphalian State Theatre has been based in Castrop-Rauxel since 1946. The Forum Castrop-Rauxel was built to designs by Arne Jacobsen and Otto Weitling and officially opened in 1976. The city’s cultural themes therefore include not only architectural forms, but also theatre history and the story of a purpose-designed forum.

Events and cabaret

The former Parkbad Süd open-air swimming pool is now used as an events venue and small cabaret stage. Its current cultural use is distinct from its original function as an outdoor swimming pool. The programme may vary; if you have a particular evening in mind, check the latest event listings.

Cycling and countryside

Six signposted cycling routes lead through Castrop-Rauxel to sights, lively squares and quieter corners. The Grüne Acht circular cycling route follows a more specific path through the landscape: it runs through forests to the Rhine-Herne Canal, across fields and over the Castroper Heights, with industrial heritage along the way. This sets urban stopping points apart from a route that takes in named landscape features.

At “Sprung über die Emscher,” cyclists and pedestrians can cross the Emscher and the Rhine-Herne Canal at the water crossing. The crossing also connects the Castrop-Rauxel districts of Henrichenburg and Habinghorst with Recklinghausen. Emscherland lies on the boundary between Castrop-Rauxel and Recklinghausen and offers opportunities for walking, cycling, spending time outdoors and learning in a blue-green landscape. There is also a play, sports and activity park by the indoor swimming pool.

Choose the right focus for your accommodation search

You can use this focus to tailor your search to the experiences you want to shape your stay.

Discover more destinations: Herten, Marl, Waltrop, Recklinghausen, Haltern am See, Datteln, Gladbeck, Dorsten.

Back to the main travel overview: Recklinghausen.