Gronau (Westf.): Music, Inselpark and Dreiländersee

Gronau (Westf.) combines a distinctive musical theme with landscaped parks, city history and waterside paths. The rock’n’popmuseum, Inselpark and Dreiländersee offer different highlights for your stay: from multimedia exhibits and views of the city centre to walking and cycling routes through a landscape shaped by its cross-border setting.

Music history in Inselpark

The rock’n’popmuseum features a multimedia exhibition with sounds, images and exhibits. It is located on the grounds of Inselpark, close to Gronau railway station and the city centre. The museum is accessible to visitors with disabilities: facilities include a lift, an accessible toilet and sturdy wheelchair ramps. Check the latest information about the facilities in advance.

Inselpark was created on the former site of the van Delden spinning mill. Canals divide it into individually designed islands, transforming the former industrial site into a varied park landscape. From the top of the LAGA Pyramid, you can see across the entire Inselpark and the city centre. This makes it possible to take in both the green space and the cityscape from a single vantage point.

In front of the rock’n’popmuseum, the water maze features numerous water games. Fountains rise from the ground there at changing intervals. The former stair tower of the van Delden ring-spinning mill is another distinctive feature: it is 19 metres high and has two climbing walls with different levels of difficulty.

Cityscape and other attractions

The water tower is a landmark of Gronau and visible from far away. Another photo spot is the Udo Lindenberg monument in the heart of Gronau: it stands at a roundabout on the old B54 federal highway. The two locations offer different perspectives on the city—the water tower as a widely recognisable landmark, and the monument as a place to stop for a photo.

A guided city tour runs through the Inselpark grounds and the city centre, exploring Gronau’s transformation from a textile town into a music town. It connects the city’s industrial past with its musical identity, which is also reflected in the museum. If you would like to include the tour in your plans, check the dates in advance.

The animal park in the city park is home to numerous bird species, as well as coatis, monkeys, donkeys, goats, porcupines and fallow deer. The wildlife adds another distinct aspect of Gronau to its music, industrial history and urban design.

Dreiländersee: water, walks and landscape

Dreiländersee links the Netherlands, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. The 28-hectare lake is registered as an official EC bathing water and is regularly tested and monitored by the public health department. During the summer months, there is a swimming area with a white sandy beach and a water playground. As these facilities are seasonal and amenities may change, check the latest information before setting out.

A path around the lake, about 2.9 kilometres long, is ideal for a walk. If you are planning a longer hike, this is also the starting point for a 10.5-kilometre route through a 740-hectare moorland and heathland area. Low dune ridges, wet heathland bogs and habitats for meadow birds shape the landscape, and two observation towers are located along the way. The short circular path by the lake and the longer hiking route therefore offer clearly different distances. When planning, bear in mind that access and conditions in the natural area may change.

Cycling routes along the lake and the Dinkel

A cycling route runs from the Inselpark grounds via Dreiländersee, past the De Oelemars bird sanctuary and along the Dinkel back to Gronau. The Laga Route follows the paths of the first cross-border state horticultural show, held in Gronau and Losser in 2003, and connects the two towns. It links back to a shared event in the two towns, while the other cycling route takes in the lake, the Dinkel and the bird sanctuary along the way.

The Losser–Gronau Dinkel project has also created paths, boardwalks and bridges that allow visitors to cycle and walk along the newly landscaped Dinkel. Together with the various routes, these offer different ways to explore Gronau on foot or by bicycle—from a walk by the lake to longer routes through parks and moorland.

Discover more destinations: Bocholt, Borken, Heiden, Raesfeld, Schöppingen, Vreden, Südlohn, Heek.

Back to the main travel overview: Borken.