Diepholz: Castle History and Culture
Accommodation in Diepholz
Diepholz combines a long history of its castle with the history of the town, cultural venues and outdoor activities. The town is located in DĂĽmmer Nature Park.
Moated Castle, Tower and Town History
Diepholz Castle is a moated castle whose history dates back to the 10th or 11th century. At 43 metres high, the castle tower is the tallest building in Diepholz and a landmark of the town and surrounding area. The museum in the castle tower presents exhibitions on the town’s history and working life across seven floors, with a focus on peat extraction in the local peatlands. This brings the history of the building together with a specific topic from the world of work. As construction work may affect access to the museum, check the latest visitor information before your visit.
Culture and Outdoor Venues
Diepholz is a cultural centre of the DĂĽmmerWeserLand region, with a theatre, cinema, museum, gallery and media library. The Diepholz Town Theatre has 541 seats, and its programme changes. Institutional offerings may change over time.
The sculptures at Gänsemarkt are accessible free of charge all year round. The castle island, with its rose garden and stela trail, is also open all year round. The two outdoor venues have different focuses: sculptures at one, and a garden and stela trail at the other.
Swimming, Paddling and Walking
MĂĽntepark outdoor swimming pool has a 50-metre pool, a solar-heated non-swimmer pool with a slide, diving towers, beach volleyball, table tennis and a playground. The pool is open seasonally; check the latest opening information before travelling.
A canoe trip on the water runs from Lembruch to Diepholz. Before setting out, check availability with the provider and check water conditions. Diepholz can also be explored on foot on the signposted Grafentour walking route; check the signage locally. The main difference between these options is whether you want to travel on the water or get to know the town on foot.
Getting Here by Train and Car
Diepholz station is a regular daytime stop for the Regional-Express trains running hourly between Bremen and OsnabrĂĽck. Check the current timetable before travelling. For those arriving by car, the Holdorf exit on the A1 is 20 kilometres from Diepholz and can be reached via the B214 in about 20 minutes. Actual journey time depends on traffic.
In Diepholz District: Nature and Culture in the Wider Region
Diepholz District encompasses two tourism regions and two nature parks. Dümmer Lake offers numerous recreational activities for sailors and surfers. The Dümmer Museum Lembruch presents the lake’s nature, landscape and culture in the past, present and future. The “Life in the Water” research station explains the ecology of the Dümmer ecosystem in detail. The museum also brings the Stone Age at Dümmer to life with original artefacts dating from 4000 to 2000 BC and reconstructions.
A two-hour discovery tour run by the DĂĽmmer Museum explores life in the waters of DĂĽmmer. Equipment used includes landing nets, a plankton net, a thermometer, a questionnaire and a microscope. The tour is for families and smaller groups of fewer than 15 people, school classes, and groups of no more than 25 people.
Peatland Landscapes, Cycling Routes and a River for Canoeing
A roughly two-kilometre-long peatland discovery trail leads through the Diepholz peatland, with ten informative stations that bring the peatland ecosystem to life in every season. In Wagenfeld, Moorwelten explores peatlands and climate through multimedia displays. The peat railway stops directly at Moorwelten and takes visitors to the “Moorpadd” nature discovery trail and the walking routes in Neustädter Moor.
For leisure cyclists, a cycle guidance system points the way along around 1,700 kilometres of routes in Diepholz District. The 137-kilometre Hunte River Cycle Route runs from Elsfleth to DĂĽmmer Lake. The Hunte itself is also an option for canoe trips: it has been developed as an attractive destination for nature-based tourism and canoeing in Diepholz District. The river is navigable by canoe for about 105 kilometres, from OsnabrĂĽck Land to Oldenburg.
For further insights into the history of the district, visit Syke District Museum and the Forum Gesseler Goldhort. As the district’s museum of cultural and everyday history, it presents everyday life from the Stone Age to the threshold of the present day.
Discover More Destinations
Discover more destinations: Freistatt, Lemförde, Campen, Süstedt, Kirchdorf, Stuhr, Bassum and Hüde.
Back to the main travel overview: Diepholz.
