Papenburg combines shipbuilding with city history: at the MEYER WERFT Visitor Center, you can learn about modern and sustainable shipbuilding; mills, museums and cultural venues offer further perspectives on the city. When choosing a hotel, you can start by considering your own interests – maritime themes, historic buildings, or gardens and golf.
Shipbuilding and maritime city history
At the MEYER WERFT Visitor Center, visitors can experience modern and sustainable shipbuilding up close. The Maritime Erlebniswelt offers a different focus: across 1,000 m², it uses interactive exhibits to present Papenburg’s history as a shipyard and seafaring trade center, as well as the development of wooden and steel shipbuilding. This places an experience of modern shipbuilding alongside a look back at the city’s maritime development.
The “Friederike” is also part of Papenburg’s maritime tradition. It is one of six historic sailing ship replicas located at various spots along Papenburg’s canals. Together, the ships symbolize the city’s seafaring and shipbuilding tradition.
Mills, houses and culture
The restored Meyers MĂĽhle is a landmark of Papenburg, located between the main canal and the city park. The gallery Dutch windmill was built in 1888 and houses an interactive permanent exhibition on the history of the mill. Its architecture, location and exhibition give this visit a different focus from the maritime city history presented at the Maritime Erlebniswelt.
The Alte Drostei is one of Papenburg’s oldest houses. Extensively restored, it is now a cultural center hosting changing exhibitions, concerts, readings and dining experiences. The Aschendorfer Heimathaus focuses on traditional crafts and agriculture in the 19th and 20th centuries. The house, dating from 1898, and its original machinery bring the history of crafts in Papenburg to life.
The Von-Velen-Anlage offers another historical perspective: this open-air museum is in Papenburg’s Obenende district and is easy to reach by bicycle or car. The attractions therefore also differ in format – from exhibitions in historic houses to an open-air museum.
Baroque garden and golf course
The Baroque garden at Gut Altenkamp is in Papenburg’s Aschendorf district. Its imposing yew hedges are more than 200 years old, giving the garden a distinctive historical feature. Those interested in gardens will find a different focus here from the city’s museums and cultural venues.
The Papenburg golf course has 18 holes across a good 70 hectares and is one of the largest golf courses in the region. The number of holes and the size of the course help put this attraction in context alongside the city’s cultural and historical destinations, without assuming that they appeal to the same interests.
Getting around by bicycle
At Papenburg railway station, the access-controlled, video-monitored bicycle station has space for around 120 bicycles and up to six cargo bikes or bicycles with trailers. It also has 40 lockers with charging facilities for e-bike batteries. These details about capacity and facilities offer practical guidance for planning a cycling trip; as operating details may change, check the latest information before using the station.
Discover more destinations: Spelle, Holte, Heede, Niederlangen, Freren, Meppen, DĂĽthe, Werlte.
See the overview of the wider region: Emsland.
