Bardowick combines historic buildings with various ways to explore the town and its surroundings. St. Peter and Paul’s Cathedral, St. Nikolaihof and the “Gildehaus” local history museum offer insights into different chapters of the town’s history. There is also a historic walking tour, two SamBa tours with different routes, and the Bardowicker Strand natural swimming pool. When looking for a hotel, you can consider which of these facets you would particularly like to shape your stay.
Cathedral, chapel and local history
St. Peter and Paul’s Cathedral provides an early historical reference point for Bardowick’s architectural history: the oldest parts of the present church building date from before 1189. Its furnishings also reflect different periods. The bronze baptismal font was purchased in 1367 and is the cathedral’s oldest furnishing; the Marian altar dates from around 1430. The dates refer to different things: the older parts of the church building, the purchase of the baptismal font and the period when the altar was created.
St. Nikolaihof represents a different architectural period. The historic complex comprises residential and farm buildings dating from the 14th to the 18th century, arranged around a Gothic chapel. The Eichhof grove borders the grounds. The “Gildehaus” local history museum documents the key periods in Bardowick’s history. It is housed in a Lower Saxon two-post farmhouse that once served as the town hall. The chapel and former town hall thus represent different architectural contexts in the town’s history.
The gallery-style Dutch windmill in Bardowick was restored in 1994/95 and is one of the few mills in Germany still operated commercially. If you are planning around its commercial operation, check in advance for the latest information. At the annual mill festival at Whitsun, visitors are shown and told how the mill works. If the festival is an important reason for your trip, check the event dates in advance.
Walking tours and SamBa routes
The historic walking tour of Bardowick has 13 stops. Information boards at each location introduce visitors to the history. The figure “Pfennig” is modelled on a medieval Bardowick coin. For planning, it is a good idea to consult current route information.
The first SamBa tour starts at Bardowick Cathedral and follows a former railway embankment via the station towards Vögelsen, then continues to Mechtersen and Radbruch. The return route to the starting point went via Bardowick’s Dutch windmill. The 25-kilometre-long SamBa Tour 2 also starts at the cathedral. It passes the Dutch mill, crosses fields and meadows to Neu Wittorf, and continues with a detour to Handorf Church towards Lake Barum and back to Bardowick via St. Dionys and the old railway drawbridge. The length of the second tour provides a specific point of reference for planning; the first can be identified by its route and the places it passes.
Bardowicker Strand natural swimming pool
Bardowicker Strand is an artificially created, nature-oriented outdoor swimming pool that operates without chemicals. The 50-metre pool includes a separate baby and non-swimmer area, as well as a sandy beach with beach chairs. A large sunbathing lawn has designated football and volleyball areas. Other water activities include a diving rock with one- and two-metre platforms and a cable ferry. The 70 m² area for young children features particularly strong water circulation and built-in weirs. These separately described areas give you specific points of reference for comparing the facilities with your own interests in the water.
Discover more destinations: Wendisch Evern, Vögelsen, Handorf, Deutsch Evern, Neetze, Embsen, Dahlenburg, Adendorf.
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