Rhede (Ems): Agricultural Museum and Destinations in the Emsland

In Rhede (Ems), the Agricultural Museum displays equipment and machinery used in agriculture from around 1850 to 1950 across approximately 1,100 m² of exhibition space. This period spans roughly a century; anyone interested in the history of agricultural technology will find a clearly defined local focus here.

Nature and trails in the Emsland

The Hümmling Nature Park covers around 580 square kilometres in the northeastern part of the Emsland district. Cycling and hiking trails run through the nature park, with information stations along the way; the routes pass historical sites, megalithic tombs and Schloss Clemenswerth. In this way, the routes combine landscapes with stops highlighting regional history and culture.

The Theikenmeer loop is one of the trails in the Hümmling Nature Park that meets the German Hiking Association’s quality criteria. Since certifications can change, check their current status if this criterion is important for your planning. The route of the Kranichpfad (Crane Trail) is clearly specified: it runs about 2.5 kilometres into the Theikenmeer nature reserve; the return journey follows the same route, making the total walking distance around 5 kilometres. The Kranichpfad includes a viewing platform with panoramic views of Lake Theikenmeer and the Wehmer Dose moorland, as well as an observation hut on the lakeshore.

The Emsland Route is on a different scale: this 395-kilometre circular route passes through five landscapes of the Emsland—Nördliches Emstal, Hümmling, Bourtanger Moor, Hasetal and Südliches Emsland. The route is very well signposted, mostly flat, paved and traffic-free, and is particularly suitable for beginners and families with children. It connects 19 towns; any town in the Emsland along the route can serve as a starting or finishing point. Unlike the Kranichpfad, whose return journey follows the same route, the Emsland Route is a circular route. The two trails therefore differ both in length and in how their routes are planned.

Cultural destinations in the Emsland

The park at Schloss Clemenswerth covers 42 hectares and includes the Gloriette, Elector Clemens August’s garden house. In Werlte in the Emsland, Kreutzmann’s Mill was restored to its original 1881 condition in the 1990s. The two places each have a distinct character: the park and garden house stand alongside the history of a mill and its restoration.

In the Emsland, the Mersmühle mill is the centrepiece of the Haren (Ems) Shipping Museum. The museum also includes a miller’s house, the main exhibition building, a historic bakehouse, a restored motor mill, a tool shed with a wagon shelter, and a farm and herb garden. The museum café at the Emsland Moor Museum serves regional products, including buckwheat pancakes.

Landscape and regional highlights

The Fehndorfer Moor viewpoint overlooks a 29-hectare remnant of a former industrial peat extraction area in the Emsland. The area has been prepared for nature conservation and raised bog restoration. This adds another topic to the nature park trails: how a formerly industrially used moorland area is managed and now dedicated to nature conservation and restoration.

Discover more destinations

Lathen, Rastdorf, Papenburg, Lähden, Meppen, Salzbergen, Werpeloh, Kluse

For the broader travel overview: Emsland.