Haselünne combines local history with nature and outdoor activities: the open-air and local history museum explores rural everyday life and craftsmanship, while the juniper grove offers a nature trail and valuable heathland habitats. There is also a tour of the historic town centre and two circular cycling routes of different lengths. This lets you choose what to focus on in Haselünne: a culture-focused visit, a walk through the natural landscape or a longer cycling tour.
Museum and town centre: discover Haselünne’s history
The Haselünne Open-Air and Local History Museum comprises a farm complex of eight historic buildings: four large farmhouses, a tithe barn, a farm chapel, a smithy and a bakehouse. At the working museum bakery, bread-making in historic stone ovens is demonstrated. The exhibition traces how everyday life in Haselünne has changed over time: the rural life of the farming townspeople, their craftsmanship, archaeological finds and everyday objects such as household furnishings. This brings everyday life and work into focus alongside architectural history. If you are interested in the different types of buildings, you can consider them alongside the objects and themes in the collection.
The tour of the historic town centre with the castle maiden focuses on something different from the museum: instead of the farm complex and everyday life, the townscape takes centre stage. You can therefore focus your visit on the buildings and collection, or get to know Haselünne on a town tour.
Juniper grove: heathland habitats and nature trail
The Haselünne Juniper Grove is home to species-rich mat-grass grasslands and juniper heaths that provide valuable habitats. The nature trail is a circular route of about 3.6 kilometres, with interactive elements at information stations; it starts at the hiking car park by Lake Haselünne. The combination of a circular route and information stations gives the visit a clear focus on nature and complements the cultural attractions with time outdoors.
In the nearby Haselünner Kuhweide, sheep and Tarpan horses keep the landscape open and help preserve the living conditions of the native animal and plant species. Grazing by sheep and Tarpan horses may change.
Circular cycling routes: two lengths, different starting points
There are two circular cycling routes associated with Haselünne to choose from. “Hasetal – River Landscape in Transition” is 54.50 kilometres long, rated very easy and starts in Haselünne. The Art Route is 63 kilometres long, is also rated very easy, and starts and finishes in Haselünne. Your choice therefore depends on the route length and the location details: Haselünne is listed as both the start and finish for the Art Route, while the Hasetal route starts in Haselünne. The tourism operator may update route information, including length and difficulty rating.
A wider perspective: nature and cycling routes in the Emsland
For a look at more of the Emsland’s landscapes, Hümmling Nature Park covers around 580 square kilometres in the northeast of Emsland district. Cycling and hiking trails with information stations along the way pass historic sites, megalithic tombs and Schloss Clemenswerth.
The Emsland Route also offers a regional cycling itinerary: the 395-kilometre circular route passes through five landscape areas – Northern Ems Valley, Hümmling, Bourtanger Moor, Hasetal and Southern Emsland. It connects 19 towns; all the towns in Emsland along the route can serve as starting and finishing points.
Discover more destinations: Fresenburg, Renkenberge, Lathen, Lünne, Werlte, Dörpen, Rastdorf, Salzbergen
Go to the overview of destinations: Emsland.
