Mülheim an der Ruhr: Museums, MüGa and Ruhr Valley Cycle Route

Mülheim an der Ruhr offers several distinct starting points for planning a stay: museums in historic buildings, an outdoor stage, MüGa on the Ruhr and a cycle route that runs through the city. The following places show how varied the ways of exploring the destination can be.

Museums, water and industrial heritage

At the Aquarius Water Museum, visitors can activate more than 30 multimedia stations, including a virtual ride on the Ruhrmobil along the Ruhr. The museum is located in Styrum in a former water tower that is over 100 years old, and is an anchor point on the Industrial Heritage Route. From a height of 35 metres, it offers views of the Ruhr landscape. This brings interactive stations, the historic water tower and views of the landscape together in one museum visit. If you are looking for a connection to industrial heritage as well as exhibitions during your stay, this is a concrete place to start.

Haus Ruhrnatur has a different focus. The interactive museum was established in 1992 in a former school boathouse that is a listed building. It offers excursions in the surrounding area on topics such as waterbirds, small animals and floodplain landscapes. While the focus at Aquarius is on the interactive multimedia stations and the Ruhr landscape, here it is on animals and landscapes. This lets you choose between different ways of exploring water and nature: a museum visit with interactive stations or an interactive museum that also offers excursions.

MüGa, Broich Castle and live performances

MüGa is a 66-hectare park directly on the Ruhr. Its features include art installations, green picnic areas and cycle paths; numerous events are held there regularly. MüGa is also within reach of Broich Castle and the Ringlokschuppen. For planning your stay, it offers a different focus from individual museums: a park whose described features range from art and picnic areas to cycle paths and events.

The Historical Museum in the upper castle of Broich Castle contains documents, paintings, models, weapons and archaeological finds from various periods. Since April 2024, an accessible historical trail has made the castle’s late Carolingian core accessible to visitors. The interior rooms can only be accessed as part of a guided tour or if you are interested in renting them. The historical trail and the museum can therefore be considered different aspects of Broich Castle; when planning to visit the interior rooms, bear in mind that access is limited.

The Mülheim an der Ruhr Open-Air Stage offers live music in various genres, cabaret and theatre. As an outdoor stage, it has more than 2,000 seats. If a specific performance is the reason for your trip, check the current event schedule in advance. This lets you shape your stay around a live performance rather than a visit focused on collections, architectural history or parks.

The Ruhr and cycle paths

The Mülheim Water Station on Schleuseninsel is the main landing stage for the White Fleet. If you are considering a boat trip as part of your itinerary, check current services in advance.

The Ruhr Valley Cycle Route runs for more than 14 kilometres through the city of Mülheim. This is a different cycling option from the cycle paths within MüGa: the first refers to a route through the city, while the second describes cycle paths as a feature of the park. If you would like to explore Mülheim by bike, this distinction can help you choose between a city route and a park-focused outing.

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