Discover Hüde: Nature, Storks and History

Discover Hüde through its natural and cultural sites: the Dümmer Nature Conservation Centre, the nature trail and St. Mary’s Church in Burlage. Two different scales are useful for planning your visit: an observation walkway about 100 metres long and a 4.5-kilometre circular route. There are also dedicated spots for stork-watching and an observation tower.

Nature Centre and Garden

The nature conservation centre in Hüde is open daily from 10 am to 6 pm. Check the official website before your visit, as opening hours may change. The accessible exhibition explores fauna and flora as well as the formation of Lake Dümmer. Nature and landscape are therefore also central themes of the exhibition.

The nature experience garden, established by the Dümmer Nature Conservation Association, is located directly beside the Dümmer Nature Conservation Centre. Its features include a willow spider made from living willow, dry-stone walls, wildflower areas, a herb bed, a bog garden and an orchard meadow. The willow spider offers a different focal point from the garden’s walls and flower beds.

Walkway and Stork-Watching

The accessible observation walkway runs through the reed belt. It is about 100 metres long and four metres wide, has turning areas for wheelchair users and ends at a sheltered bird-watching hide. Some viewing windows are at seated height, offering good viewing opportunities for wheelchair users and children. These measurements and details give you a clear idea of what this observation facility offers.

The stork-watching platform in Hüde is open to all visitors free of charge. Before your visit, check whether the access arrangements have changed. In autumn 2025, a rotating wave-shaped bench was installed in Hüde opposite the stork nests belonging to the Kammerahl family, providing a place from which to watch storks. In addition to the platform, this is another spot specifically designated for stork-watching.

Circular Route and Observation Tower

The Dümmer nature trail is a 4.5-kilometre circular route. It starts at the Dümmer Nature Conservation Centre in Hüde and passes through the Ochsenmoor nature reserve to the southern shore of Lake Dümmer. Along the way, 13 information boards share insights into the formation of the landscape around Lake Dümmer, its wildlife and plant life, and the changing relationship between people and the lake. The trail thus combines landscape themes with nature observation and local history.

The Hohe Sieben observation tower offers views of the lake, as well as birds, sailors and surfers. The stair edges have anti-slip profiles, and the tower is also fitted with a circular handrail. Check the current access arrangements before your visit.

History in Burlage

The Protestant St. Mary’s Church in Burlage is located in Hüde and originated from a Benedictine monastery. Part of the church and some furnishings have survived from the monastery; the present church building dates mostly from the 16th century. The monastery origins and the date of the present building are distinct historical reference points: surviving elements stand alongside a church whose largest part dates from the 16th century.

Discover more destinations: Lemförde, Süstedt, Sudwalde, Syke, Kirchdorf, Diepholz, Asendorf, Stuhr.

Back to the main travel overview: Diepholz.