Schloß Holte-Stukenbrock: Nature Trails, Ems Springs and Pollhans

Schloß Holte-Stukenbrock offers a variety of reasons to stay: Pollhans, Safariland Stukenbrock, the Stalag 326 (VI K) Senne Memorial Site, and trails through woodland and moorland. When planning your trip, it is worth deciding on your main focus first: an event, wildlife and leisure attractions, history, or nature trails.

Pollhans and Other Experiences

Pollhans features market stalls, party tents, a trade fair and a farmers’ market. Every year on the third weekend in October, more than 350 showmen set up their attractions at Pollhans Square. The festival is therefore a highlight of the events calendar, with a clearly defined timeframe and several different attractions.

Safariland Stukenbrock combines a wildlife zoo with 600 exotic animals, an amusement park with 30 attractions and live shows, and the indoor play park “Kattas Welt.” Check the current offerings before your trip.

The Stalag 326 (VI K) Senne Memorial Site offers a different kind of visit. The approximately two-hour guided tour begins in the permanent exhibition in the former detention building and ends at the Soviet War Dead Cemetery. It takes place on Thursdays from 2 to 4 p.m., except on public holidays. Registration is required at least 48 hours in advance. The meeting point is at the police academy gate at 1:45 p.m.; a valid identity card is required. Check visitor information before your visit.

Hunting Lodge and Architectural History

Holte Hunting Lodge was built between 1608 and 1616 in the Renaissance style by Count Johann III and his wife, Countess Sabina Katharina of Rietberg, on the remains of “Haus Holte,” which had burned down in the 14th century. Its construction period, Renaissance style and predecessor building give the complex a clear historical context, while keeping the two building phases distinct.

Forest, Furlbach Valley and Trails

The Holter Forest is a continuous woodland area of approximately 670 hectares, crossed by streams of the Senne, the Ölbach and the Landerbach. It serves as a stepping-stone biotope in the otherwise sparsely wooded Westphalian Bay and is designated as a Flora-Fauna-Habitat (FFH) area. The forest has hiking, cycling and riding trails. The Holter Forest Trail is a short circular route through the northern part of the forest and takes about 1.5 hours.

Birds observed in the Furlbach Valley include the black and great spotted woodpecker, white-throated dipper, kingfisher, stock dove, Eurasian woodcock and grey wagtail. Rare dragonflies such as the bog hawker and the northern emerald live in the moors; cotton grass, sundew, marsh rosemary and cranberry also grow there. The “Romantisches Furlbachtal” circular hiking trail is marked with a blue kingfisher. The route can be extended via the Furlbach Trail, which is marked with a colored kingfisher.

The Holter Forest is also home to the approximately 1,000-year-old oak, an extraordinary natural monument.

Ems Springs and Circular Trails

The highest Ems spring in the district of Stukenbrock-Senne is a seepage spring that flows year-round. The 5 km Ems Experience Trail circular route runs by the Ems springs in the Moosheide Nature Reserve. At the Ems spring, a visitor walkway can be reached via wooden steps. Another visitor walkway above the spring is accessible to people with limited mobility and is easy to reach by bicycle, stroller or wheelchair.

The details of the two routes help with planning without conflating different measurements: an approximate duration of 1.5 hours is given for the Holter Forest Trail, while the Ems Experience Trail is listed as 5 km long. Check current trail conditions before hiking.

Discover more destinations: Versmold, Harsewinkel, Rietberg, Gütersloh, Verl, Herzebrock-Clarholz, Steinhagen, Marienfeld.

Back to the regional travel overview: Gütersloh.