A medieval church, a floodplain forest carpeted with white and violet corydalis flowers, and a cycling route that reaches Hassel at the village sign offer different highlights. Depending on your interests, you can focus your stay more on architectural history, the flowering season or finding your way along the cycle route.

St. Cosmae et Damiani Church

St. Cosmae et Damiani Church has a history spanning around 1,000 years and is one of the oldest religious buildings in the Syke-Hoya church district. It is also one of the oldest churches in the Middle Weser region. The two-bay nave is 27 metres long and eight metres wide, and stands on a moulded plinth. The building includes a recessed western choir bay dating from the 12th century. The eastern bay was probably added at the end of the 13th century. The two bays reveal distinct construction phases.

The interior also has some striking details. Among the interesting tombstones, one depicts a bride who was struck down and died in front of the altar at the moment of her wedding. The pulpit is painted in the Bauernbaroque style. The floor plan, tombstones and pulpit offer different perspectives on the church’s history.

Alhuser Ahe: Floodplain Forest and Spring Flowers

Alhuser Ahe is a 22-hectare floodplain forest between Hassel and Hoya, east of the Weser. You can walk on paths that are not closed to the public, so check for current closures before setting out. At the end of March and beginning of April, hollow corydalis blooms there in large white and violet carpets of flowers; the exact timing depends on the weather. The flowering season offers a seasonal highlight alongside the church’s enduring architectural and interior features. Treat the dates given as a guide, not as a fixed flowering time.

Cycling towards Hoya

The Weser Cycle Route circular tour between Hoya and Verden follows the B 215 to Hassel’s village sign, turns onto Jübberweg there, and then leads to state road 330, which goes directly to Hoya. As the route may change, it is worth checking its current course before setting off.

Culture in the wider destination of Nienburg

In the wider destination of Nienburg, the Nienburg Museum offers a cultural highlight of its own. In three historic buildings, it showcases the development of the Middle Weser region from the arrival of the first people to the present day. The main building is the Fresenhof, a manor house dating from the 16th century. The museum also includes the Asparagus Museum, the Biedermeier Garden and a lapidarium; the Neoclassical villa offers deeper insights into the 19th century. Nienburg’s old town offers a different highlight: half-timbered façades, Weser Renaissance façades and brickwork shape the townscape of a city with a 1,000-year history. In Hassel, the church draws attention to the construction phases of a single building; the Nienburg Museum spans the development of the Middle Weser region.

Discover more destinations: Schweringen, Hilgermissen, Gandesbergen, Hoyerhagen, Hoya, Hämelhausen, Warpe, Eystrup

Back to the main travel guide: Grafschaft Hoya.