Canals, drawbridges and historic buildings shape a variety of routes through Rhauderfehn. Choose from the historic Fehn Tour walking route, two cycling routes and a nature trail; the Fehn and Shipping Museum complements these routes with a collection about fen culture and shipping.
Routes with different focuses
The Fehn Tour is a historic walking route along the fen canals through the centre of Rhauderfehn. Along the route, 16 information boards explain how the historic buildings around Westrhauderfehn and Rhaudermoor have changed over time. The walk thus combines the canal route with the history of local development.
The Kleinbahn Tour is a 15-kilometre day trip. It follows the Ostfriesland hiking trail and the former narrow-gauge railway line through Westrhauderfehn, Collinghorst, Rhaudermoor and Rhaude in Rhauderfehn. Its route combines two different paths: the hiking trail and the trackbed of the former narrow-gauge railway.
The Wieke Tour is a themed cycling route of around 22 kilometres along canals, drawbridges and historic sites. It introduces cyclists to the history of peatland colonisation; the route can be cycled at any time. Compared with the 15-kilometre Kleinbahn Tour, it is longer and has a different thematic focus: peatland colonisation.
The nature trail at the “Oll Wiek” is ideal for hiking, jogging, walking and cycling. The Hammrich Tour passes through peat bog, Hammrich, marshland and Geest. While the Fehn Tour highlights changes to historic buildings around Westrhauderfehn and Rhaudermoor, the Hammrich Tour focuses on these four landscape types.
Fen culture and shipping
The Fehn and Shipping Museum Westrhauderfehn is housed in the historic Graepel Villa in Westrhauderfehn, a district of the municipality of Rhauderfehn. Its collection focuses on fen culture, shipbuilding, shipping and domestic culture. Alongside the routes and their local history, regional building and domestic culture are also central themes.
Culture and urban history in Leer
The destination of Leer brings together a variety of themes, including remembrance and historic buildings. The Former Jewish School in Leer is a memorial and meeting place operated by the district of Leer. Evenburg Castle in Leer is a cultural monument of regional significance and comprises the castle, park and outer bailey. Since May 2014, it has been open with a permanent exhibition about the life and work of an aristocratic family in the 19th century; it is also a centre for garden culture.
Public city tours in Leer include the old town hall, the historic weigh house and Haus Samson; the tour lasts 1.5 hours. The Amsterdam-style gabled house Haus Samson has been a feature of Leer’s old town since 1643. The tour therefore covers both significant buildings and urban history that can be traced to a particular period through a single building.
The museums in Leer also differ in their subject matter. Across two floors, the Bünting Tea Museum explores tea cultivation, production and preparation, as well as the history of East Frisia’s favourite drink. The Leer Local History Museum focuses on East Frisian domestic culture and local shipping. At the Leer Telecommunications Museum, visitors can experience 150 years of communications history through rare exhibits and working technology.
Discover more destinations
Discover more destinations: Langholt, Rhaudermoor, Jemgum, Uplengen, Hesel, Firrel, Filsum, Neukamperfehn.
Back to the main travel overview: Leer.
