Discover Damme: Nature, Hiking Trails and Mill History
Accommodation in Damme
Damme offers varied natural landscapes, signposted trails and cultural sites with histories of their own. In the Dammer Berge hills, rolling forests, meadows, valleys, fields and pastureland are all part of the landscape, along with moorland and heathland. Mills, a town museum and special exhibition venues add to the outdoor experiences.
Discover landscapes and habitats
In the Dammer Berge hills, open stream valleys, meadows and spring bogs provide a habitat for a large stag beetle population. The Bexaddetal also showcases the diversity of nature: this narrow erosion valley includes a natural stream, seepage springs and alder carr. The area is valued as a place for recreation and provides a setting for learning outside the classroom. It can be accessed from hiking car parks near the Benedictine monastery and on Gramker StraĂźe.
Dammer Bergsee is a former settling pond from iron ore mining. Its surroundings were designated a nature reserve in 1995, and the lake is home to numerous rare and endangered plant species. This means Damme brings together a variety of natural environments: the damp spring areas of the Dammer Berge, the valley and its stream, and the former mining site by the lake.
On foot, by bike and up to the observation tower
Damme has a well-developed network of signposted cycling and hiking trails. A network of numbered junctions offers shorter and longer routes to regional attractions. One specific circular route is the Dammer Bergsee nature trail: the discovery loop is around 2.5 kilometres long and takes about two hours. Its length and approximate duration provide a guide for planning your time.
From the Mordkuhlenberg observation tower, you can see across the Dammer Berge recreation area and beyond. The walk to the tower has a distinctive feature of its own: eight large iron sculptures depicting characters from a play line the path. The nature trail loop and the walk to the observation tower offer different ways to experience the landscape.
Mills, an aircraft and exhibitions
A Transall aircraft is on permanent loan at Damme airfield. It can be viewed from the outside; a separate arrangement is required to visit the interior. The SchnatmĂĽhle is an octagonal brick-built Dutch windmill dating from 1895. Check its restoration status before visiting.
Höltermann Watermill is a restored watermill dating from 1801 and is once again ready to grind grain. An exhibition in the building tells the story of the mill and the farm. You can also experience the waterwheel and millstream through the sounds of the mill machinery. Damme Town Museum focuses on local and regional history, including iron ore mining, and presents changing special exhibitions.
The Dümmer Bird Exhibition presents almost 200 bird species from the area around Lake Dümmer as taxidermy specimens. Opening arrangements may change, so check visitor information before your visit. The region’s birdlife, mill history and culture offer different themes to shape your stay around.
Damme in the Vechta travel destination
Choose your starting point based on the places that matter most to you during your stay. In the wider Vechta travel destination, the district of Vechta has 31 hiking routes through floodplain and moorland landscapes, forests and hills, as well as to historic sights and natural monuments. They are marked according to the German Hiking Association’s quality criteria and have uniform signposting.
The district’s cycling network covers around 870 kilometres, with 16 themed cycling routes also available, including “Discover Noble Estates” and “Art, Culture and Nature.” One route directly linked to Damme is the 24-kilometre Cardinal’s Trail to Dinklage. It connects the two towns and is divided into five stations or four stages.
Discover more destinations: Lohne, Visbek, Steinfeld, Holdorf, Goldenstedt, Neuenkirchen-Vörden, Vechta and Dinklage.
Go to the overview of the wider travel destination: Vechta.
