Recklinghausen: Art, Museums and Green Spaces

Recklinghausen offers several different ways to enjoy a stay: art and local history sit alongside green spaces and outdoor activities. Its museums range from Eastern Christian icon art and Polish modernism to the history of the city and mining. Other highlights include the Stadtgarten with its animal park, and a route that brings mining and industrial change to life in a landscape of spoil heaps and hills. When planning your trip, it is worth distinguishing between these themes: collections, changing exhibition programs, walks and outdoor activities each offer a different focus.

Art and History from Different Perspectives

The Recklinghausen Icon Museum is considered the world’s most important museum of Eastern Christian art outside Orthodox countries. Its collection includes almost 5,000 icons, gold embroideries, miniatures, and works in wood and metal from Eastern Christian regions. The icons date from the 13th century to the early 20th century. The collection thus brings together a wide variety of materials and a long historical span. If you choose art by origin, material or period, the collection offers several specific perspectives on Eastern Christian art.

Museum Jerke presents a different art-historical tradition: its 600 exhibits include the Polish avant-garde of the 1920s and Polish modernism from 1960 onward. The museum also serves as an event space. If you are planning to attend an event, check the current program before your visit. The collection and the event space offer two different starting points for planning your visit.

Atelierhaus Recklinghausen showcases different art forms through exhibitions and other events. Its exhibition space is open to members of the public. Here, too, the program and exhibitions change over time, so check in advance if you have a particular event or exhibition in mind.

Kunsthalle Recklinghausen presents changing exhibitions of contemporary art in a former air-raid bunker. The contrast between the building’s former use and contemporary art offers a distinctive perspective. Retro Station has a different focus: it divides Recklinghausen’s history into three sections—urban development up to 1900, the region’s mining history, and events of the 20th century. While Kunsthalle presents changing contemporary perspectives, Retro Station takes you through clearly defined historical themes.

Stadtgarten, Spoil Heaps and Outdoor Activities

The tree-filled Stadtgarten lies on the northwestern edge of Recklinghausen’s old town and is a popular destination for walkers. More than 630 animals live in the Stadtgarten’s animal park; this number may change. The aviary lets you observe birds in free flight. The Stadtgarten thus offers both walks and opportunities to observe animals.

Halden-Hügel-Hopping takes you across around 20 spoil heaps and natural hills, bringing mining, structural change and industrial heritage to life. Unlike a visit to a single museum, the route links landscape features with these historical themes. Check the route conditions before setting out so you can plan around the route’s specific course.

The high-ropes course in Recklinghausen-Suderwich offers activities at heights of six to eleven meters. Availability and booking options may change, so check in advance if your visit depends on them. For cyclists, the Recklinghausen cycle route is another point to consider when planning: it is being developed as a north–south connection between the city center, the southern part of the city, the Emscher and the city boundary with Herne. Construction work or changes may affect the route. So check the current route before setting out, and bear in mind that the connection is still under development.

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Go to the main travel overview: Recklinghausen.