Walchum can be explored through three distinct highlights: the rural ensemble around the local heritage house, the history of Camp IV Walchum and places to spend time by the water. When planning your stay, you can decide whether local and camp history or swimming should be the main focus.
Local Heritage House and Camp History
The Walchum local heritage house complex comprises a multi-generational house, an open-air stage, a village pond, a bakehouse and a coach house. Together, they form a rural ensemble. The interplay of these features is particularly interesting for understanding Walchum: it offers a different way to explore the town than the history of Camp IV.
Walchum was one of the Emsland penal camps, which were administered by the judicial authorities from 1934 to 1945. Camp IV Walchum was planned as a judicial penal camp for 500 prisoners and completed in May 1935. Expansion plans from December 1936 envisaged increasing the planned capacity to 1,000 by 1939.
Before the Second World War, people persecuted by the Nazi regime for political, racial, social or religious reasons were imprisoned there. During the war, the prisoners were mainly former soldiers convicted by military courts. They were joined by foreign prisoners from territories occupied or annexed by Germany, including Poles, Czechs and Luxembourgers.
The prisoners had to perform eight to twelve hours of forced labor in the moors every day, including drainage, road construction and peat extraction. After 1939, they were increasingly employed in war-related businesses and agriculture. In February 1945, 167 prisoners remained in the camp; in early April 1945, they were transferred to Aschendorfermoor. Civil registers record 71 deaths; the actual number was probably higher. Information panels at the former Emsland camp sites explain the history of each camp, including that of the former Camp IV Walchum site.
Church History in Nearby Hasselbrock
Nearby Hasselbrock also offers its own historical point of interest. The Catholic Church of the Holy Family was built in 1952–1953 in the traditional brick style, based on designs by Lingen architect Wilhelm Ruge. Hasselbrock received a rectory in 1954; in 1976, it became an independent parish. These dates complement the older camp history with the development of a Catholic community in the postwar period.
Swimming Spots with Different Features
Lake Herzogsee lies on the western edge of Walchum. Its swimming beach has a gentle slope. There is also a kiosk and a toilet building at the bathing area. As these facilities may change, check before your visit whether they are still available.
Seepark Eiken is located on the sandy shore of a clear swimming lake between Walchum and Hasselbrock. The water and shore meadows are open to the public; a shallow-water area is designated for children and less confident swimmers. Access information may change, so it is advisable to check it before setting out. This gives you a choice of different features when planning a swim: the gently sloping beach at Lake Herzogsee, or the sandy shore and designated shallow-water area at Seepark Eiken.
Regional and Culinary Connections
At an event in Walchum in 2026, buckwheat pancakes were prepared by hand using an old Emsland recipe. If you would like to plan a visit around such a culinary event, check the event dates before your trip.
For a regional extension to your trip, the Emsland offers more than 3,500 kilometers of well-signposted cycling routes for exploring the region. If you plan to travel beyond Walchum, you can include this network of cycling routes as a separate part of your trip.
Discover more destinations: Lingen, Emsbüren, Niederlangen, Dersum, Dörpen, Kluse, Meppen, Renkenberge.
See the main travel overview: Emsland.
