Discover Wietmarschen: Abbey, pilgrimage and nature

Abbey history, pilgrimage and nature experiences give Wietmarschen its varied character. Half-timbered houses on the grounds of the historic abbey, an exhibition on the Reformation period and a nature trail with 19 stations provide some specific highlights to help you plan your trip.

Abbey history and pilgrimage

The grounds of the historic Wietmarschen Abbey are home to well-preserved half-timbered houses dating from 1200 onwards. The Abbey Museum presents the exhibition “Wietmarschen and the Reformation,” covering the history of the medieval monastery up to the Reformation period. Visits to the museum are possible by appointment. The half-timbered houses and the exhibition offer different perspectives on this historic site: one through its surviving architecture, the other through the history of the monastery.

Wietmarschen is still a place of pilgrimage today and is best known for its statue of the Virgin Mary. The Packhaus Wietmarschen offers another glimpse into the town’s history: it now houses a permanent exhibition by the Wietmarschen Local History Association (Heimatverein Wietmarschen e. V.) on local customs, traditional crafts, important documents and archaeological finds. Religious traditions, the history of the monastery, and the history of everyday life and archaeological discoveries are presented as distinct themes.

Nature, views and themed trails

The Füchtenfelder Moor viewing platform is located on Georgsdorfer Straße (Betonstraße) in the Füchtenfeld district of the municipality of Wietmarschen and is signposted from both directions. The viewpoint is a specific stop for anyone who would like to take in the landscape as well as explore the area’s history.

In the “Lohner Sand” local recreation area, the nature trail is 2.6 kilometres long and has 19 themed stations on flora and fauna. Its length gives you a clear guide for planning your day, while the stations introduce you to local plant and animal life along the way. If you are travelling with children, you can use the individual stations as prompts for conversation and observation. Check the current trail conditions on site.

There is a café with a view of the lake beside Wietmarschen recreational lake. If you plan to visit, check the latest details on refreshments beforehand.

Wietmarschen within the wider travel region of the County of Bentheim

Across the wider County of Bentheim, heathland, raised and lowland bogs, wooded ridges and the Vechte River valley create a varied landscape. Numerous cycling and hiking trails run through the extensive moorlands of the Bourtanger Moor; you can join a guided tour or explore independently. A cross-border node network marks each junction with a number and shows the distances in kilometres between nodes, making it possible to plan routes in advance.

Kunstwegen also offers a distinctive cultural perspective on the wider travel region: this open-air museum of contemporary art, nature and history stretches for more than 180 kilometres through the Vechte Valley. Tourists staying overnight in the County of Bentheim can use the Grafschafter Gästekarte to travel free of charge by bus and train throughout the district. If you plan to use this benefit, check the current conditions before your trip.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Schüttorf, Laar, Nordhorn, Emlichheim, Georgsdorf, Itterbeck, Neuenhaus, Getelo.

Back to the overview of the wider travel region: County of Bentheim.