Hembergen: Ems Floodplains Cycle Route and Village History

Hembergen offers both historical points of interest and the Ems Floodplains Cycle Route along the Ems. The Church of St. Servatius and the sheepfold represent different aspects of the village’s history; the cycle route offers a distinct focus on the landscape. This lets you explore Hembergen through the themes you want to shape your trip.

St. Servatius and the Sheepfold

The Church of St. Servatius is in Hembergen. The formerly independent parish of St. Servatius is documented as being more than 800 years old and is one of the oldest parishes in the diocese. Its church tower holds the oldest bells in Emsdetten. They date from 1504 and 1696. The parish’s long history and these two specific dates give the church a special connection to the local and ecclesiastical history.

The sheepfold in Hembergen offers a different historical perspective. It is one of Emsdetten’s listed historic buildings, was built in 1781 and is considered a rare example of a sheepfold. It is the only building of its kind in the collective municipality. Together, these two sites offer contrasting points of interest: the history of the parish of St. Servatius and its bells, and a rare historic farm building.

Cycling along the Ems

The Ems Floodplains Cycle Route follows the Ems through the village of Hembergen, via Austum and through the EmsAue nature reserve in Emsdetten. The protected area lies along the section of the route through Hembergen and via Austum. There are plenty of places to stop and rest along the route. For trip planning, this offers a different focus from the historical sites: the cycle route passes through several named places and a nature reserve.

Nature and culture in the wider destination of Emsdetten

The Emsdettener Venn offers another perspective on nature. A discovery trail there leads to places of interest and provides information on display boards. The core area can be circled by bicycle; this has been possible since 2011. Together with the meadows along the Max-Clemens Canal, the Venn forms a Natura 2000 site covering around 500 hectares. It includes a raised bog complex with peat-cutting ponds in various stages of regeneration and succession, up to and including carr woodland. Of the cycling options, the Ems Floodplains Cycle Route passes through Hembergen, while the core area of the Venn can be circled.

Emsdetten’s museums also offer a range of different themes. The August Holländer Museum traces Emsdetten’s development from an agricultural and craft-based village of farmers and weavers to an industrial town. The Wannenmacher Museum is dedicated to the history of the traditional tub-making craft, with period rooms and a thematically arranged exhibition area, among other features. The Speicher Museum displays around 150 historic tools and implements in an old 17th-century granary. The building is the oldest surviving building in Emsdetten.

Emsdetten City Park has a small animal park, a duck pond, several table tennis tables and spacious, well-equipped playgrounds. In 2015, the Society for the Conservation of Old and Endangered Domestic Animal Breeds designated the park an “Arche Park.” It was the second park in North Rhine-Westphalia and the first in the Münsterland region to receive this designation. Thus, alongside nature and history, parks and playgrounds are also distinct points of interest for planning your trip to the wider destination of Emsdetten.

For the wider travel overview: Emsdetten.