Discover Hamm: Glass Elephant, Temple and Cycling Routes

If you are looking for a hotel in Hamm, you can plan your stay around a range of interests: industrial heritage and panoramic views, local history, cycling, or water and sauna facilities. Museums, sacred architecture and former industrial sites each offer their own highlights. Consider which places interest you most and include them in your travel plans.

Industrial Heritage and Panoramic Views

The Glass Elephant in Maximilianpark was created in 1984 from the coal-washing facility at the former Maximilian colliery. Today, visitors can go inside the sculpture: a ride through its glass trunk takes you up to a height of 35 metres. From there, panoramic views stretch across the park, Hamm and the green Westphalian countryside. Maximilianpark itself is also connected to the region’s industrial history. It was created in 1984 on the site of the former colliery for North Rhine-Westphalia’s first State Garden Show. The former pithead baths in the park now serve as a venue for events, trade fairs and conferences.

The 32-kilometre PANORAMA ROUTE links numerous sights and showcases different sides of the city. It passes Maximilianpark and the Glass Elephant; its starting point is the cycle station at Hamm railway station. This is distinct from the signposted cycle-route network: around 170 kilometres of routes run through Hamm, linking nature, culture and leisure attractions. If you have a specific named route in mind, the PANORAMA ROUTE is a different option from the larger network.

Museum, Temple and Local History

The Gustav Lübcke Museum presents around 13,000 years of art and cultural history across approximately 4,000 square metres. This combines a long historical time span with a visit to a specific museum in Hamm. The Sri Kamadchi Ampal Temple in Hamm-Uentrop offers a very different architectural experience. It has been in Hamm since 1989 and in Hamm-Uentrop since 1997. Its interior covers 700 square metres and contains seven shrines, richly decorated with mythological figures and ornaments.

Built in the South Indian style, the temple’s gopuram is 17 metres high; the temple measures 27 by 27 metres and is considered Europe’s largest purpose-built Tamil temple. In the centre of Hamm stands the Protestant Pauluskirche, a historic city landmark. Its older section dates back more than 700 years. Together, the museum, temple and church offer different ways to explore art, architecture and history.

Cycling Routes, the Lippe and the Countryside

For an outing in the countryside along the Lippe, consider Schloss Oberwerries. It is set amid a conservation area and is a popular destination for excursions. The manor house of the castle was built between 1685 and 1692. Its riverside setting, protected landscape and historic building distinguish it from the city’s cultural attractions.

Hamm Zoo adds another option: it is home to around 400 animals from approximately 60 species and has seven walk-through enclosures, including areas with Bennett’s wallabies, alpacas and budgerigars. The animals and enclosures may change; check what is currently available before your visit.

Water, Sports Pool and Sauna

Maximare Hamm combines several water areas with a sauna resort. The water park includes a wave pool and an adventure pool, the 100-metre RIOMare event slide, a 95-metre tyre slide, a toddlers’ area, a hot-and-cold pool and a whirlpool. There is also a covered 50-metre sports pool. The sauna resort offers seven different types of sauna indoors and outdoors, as well as a 3,500-square-metre sauna garden. When planning your trip, you can choose between swimming and slides on the one hand, and saunas on the other.

Getting There and Choosing a Hotel

Long-distance trains from Hamm’s ICE railway station serve destinations including Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt and Basel. Local and regional services include direct connections to Münster, Kassel, Cologne and Düsseldorf; during peak hours, these usually run once an hour. Check the current timetable for your specific journey. If travelling by train is important to you, you can take these destinations and your planned visits in Hamm into account when choosing a hotel.

Discover more destinations: Rhynern.

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