Rheda-Wiedenbrück: Two Historic Town Centres and Flora-Westfalica Park

Rheda-Wiedenbrück combines two historic town centres with historic buildings. It also has museums with different focuses, distinctive structures and Flora-Westfalica Park.

Two Historic Town Centres

The historic town centre of Wiedenbrück has largely preserved its layout, with narrow lanes and small plots. Many old houses once belonging to farming citizens, craftspeople and merchants line the streets. The street layout and small-scale development give the centre a character distinct from a collection of individual historic buildings: here, the inherited layout itself is an important part of the townscape.

Rheda also has a historic town centre. The old town between Doktorplatz and Widumstraße forms an almost complete historic ensemble. This means Rheda-Wiedenbrück has two neighbouring centres with their own characteristics: in Wiedenbrück, these include lanes, plots and the many old houses; in Rheda, the complete ensemble shapes the impression. Both are part of the town’s historic character.

Park, Ems and Walking Trail

Flora-Westfalica Park runs along the Ems and connects Rheda and Wiedenbrück, from the rose garden in Rheda to the Emssee in Wiedenbrück. Stretching almost three kilometres, the park offers nature, relaxation, sport, play and fun. Its length and the link between the two parts of the town make it a destination in its own right alongside the historic town centres.

The Ems-Wall Promenade is also recommended as a quality walking trail in Rheda-Wiedenbrück for outdoor activities. When planning, you can therefore choose between the almost three-kilometre park, with its range of uses, and the recommended walking trail.

Museums and Buildings Tell the Story of the Town

The Carriage Museum in Rheda displays carriages used in everyday life over three centuries. The collection includes sleighs, children’s carriages and a historic fire engine. The Radio and Telephone Museum is housed in an old bunker. It displays radios, radio tubes, televisions, tape recorders, telephones and radio communications equipment, as well as recreated living-room scenes from the 1930s to the 1970s. The two collections have different focuses: one is devoted to vehicles and their use, the other to radio, telephone and domestic life.

In Wiedenbrück-St. Vit, the Alte Ziegelei Eusterbrock is a typical Westphalian brickworks. Visitors can walk through and explore its large ring kiln. The brickworks is also a prominent building that offers insight into Rheda-Wiedenbrück’s economic history. The Hagedorn Distillery and Pott-Hartwig Distillery are also prominent buildings connected to the town’s economic history. The transept of St. Aegidius Church is also of interest for architectural history: it was built around 1260.

Arriving by Train and Car

For travel by train, the Cologne–Hamm–Rheda-Wiedenbrück–Bielefeld–Hannover–Berlin route and the Nordwestbahn service via Münster and Warendorf provide useful connections. Check the current timetable before travelling.

By car, Rheda-Wiedenbrück is connected to the motorway network via junction 23 “Rheda-Wiedenbrück” and junction 22 “Rheda-Wiedenbrück-West/Herzebrock-Clarholz.” The town is the starting point for federal highways B 55 and B 61; B 64 also passes through the town. Check current traffic conditions for your journey.

Discover more destinations: Herzebrock-Clarholz, Steinhagen, Borgholzhausen, Verl, Langenberg, Harsewinkel, Versmold, Werther.

For the overview of the wider area: Gütersloh.