Ostrhauderfehn – Fehn Canals, Church and Mill

When looking for a hotel in Ostrhauderfehn, the themes of your trip may make all the difference: church history, mill construction, a signposted cycling circuit or water sports at Idasee. The places and routes offer different experiences. You can first decide what kind of outing matters for your stay, then consider the following destinations accordingly.

Church, Mill and Landscape

Potshausen Church is the oldest church in Ostrhauderfehn. The new church in Potshausen was built in 1865 and consecrated on 18 March 1866. The church also houses an altarpiece from 1647, which comes from its predecessor church. This makes it possible to distinguish the dates of the building and its furnishings: 1865/66 refer to its construction and consecration, while 1647 is the date of the older painting from the previous building.

The municipality of Ostrhauderfehn rebuilt Idafehn Mill, constructed in 1891, in the Idafehn district; it was completed as a gallery Dutch mill with a mill storehouse in 2001. The dates therefore mark different phases in its history: the original year of construction and the completion of the reconstruction. Alongside the church, the mill offers another historic landmark, with its own distinctive architectural form.

North of Potshausen, the Leda lowlands, with their open Hammrich marshland, shape the landscape. This landscape offers a different way to experience the area alongside its historic buildings. If you would like to include open countryside in your travel plans as well as places and architectural history, you can make the Leda lowlands a focus in their own right.

Cycling Routes with Different Distances

The well-signposted Wiekentour is a 29 km circular cycling route along Ostrhauderfehn’s perfectly straight Fehn canals. It passes Petrus Church, Idafehn Mill, the white drawbridges and Idasee, before continuing into the moorland. Depending on the section, the Wiekentour can be explored by bicycle, on foot or by car. Its named stops bring together church and mill history, bridges, the lake and the moorland.

The Moor Experience Route, meanwhile, connects Ostrhauderfehn, Rhauderfehn, Barßel, Saterland and Esterwegen over approximately 100 km. The two routes differ both in length and in scope: one is a 29 km circular cycling route, while the other is a longer connection between several municipalities. You can therefore think of them as options on different scales when planning your trip.

Water Sports at Idasee

At the Idasee recreation complex in Idafehn, you can enjoy water skiing, wakeboarding, monoskiing and kneeboarding. This adds a specific water sports focus to the church history, mill and cycling routes. When choosing outings for your stay, you can consider these activities as a separate focus alongside culture and routes.

Culture in the Wider Destination of Leer

In the wider destination of Leer, Evenburg Castle is a cultural monument of more than regional significance and comprises the castle, park and outer bailey. A permanent exhibition, opened in May 2014, explores the life and work of an aristocratic family in the 19th century; Evenburg Castle is also a centre for garden culture.

Discover more destinations: Potshausen, Holtland, Filsum, Jemgum, Bunde, Nortmoor, Brinkum, Firrel.

Back to the wider travel overview: Leer.