Venray: Remembrance, Art and the Maas Landscape

Venray offers a wide range of travel experiences: the Ysselsteyn War Cemetery, museums and art in Venray, and trails through landscapes and historic places. The experiences you choose to focus on can shape the character of your stay – from quiet remembrance to hiking and water sports.

Places of Remembrance and Museums

Ysselsteyn War Cemetery is the only German military cemetery in the Netherlands and, at 28 hectares, the largest German military cemetery in the world by area. It is the final resting place of more than 31,598 people. The visitor centre complements a visit with a multimedia exhibition and a searchable database of personal life stories of those buried there.

The exhibition in the visitor centre is open free of charge seven days a week, from 9 am to 5 pm. Check the opening hours before you visit. In addition to the graves, guided tours share other remarkable stories; if you plan to take a tour, check its availability in advance.

Venray’s museums also each have their own focus. The Museum of Psychiatry invites visitors on an interactive journey through the past, present and future of psychiatry. The Venray Museum traces the development of psychiatric care in Venray and tells the story of the town’s historic role as a market centre with international trade links. Another focus is Venray’s history as a refuge for persecuted Catholics. The museum also explores monuments, religious symbols, historic buildings, churches and chapels.

In the tower of St. Peter’s Banden Church, the “In Hemelsnaam” exhibition tells the story of the church and tower’s construction, destruction and reconstruction. It adds the history of a specific building to the wider historical themes.

Routes, Art and Landscape

The 59-kilometre “Venray Remembers” cycling route connects the German War Cemetery in Ysselsteyn with the War Museum in Overloon. A walking route with the same name links a virtual story at St. Peter’s Banden Church with several sites of historical interest related to the war. At designated points along the routes, the Venray Remembers app projects augmented-reality videos into the surroundings. The cycling tour and the walk offer different formats: a longer connection between two memorial sites, and a walking route featuring virtual stories and historic sites.

The Culttouren Venray take visitors on walks of about 3.5 kilometres to places of interest focused on psychiatry, religion and education. The “In de schaduw van de tijd” cycling route has a different thematic focus, taking riders through nature, history and art.

At Odapark, an 11-hectare landscape park and nature area is home to a contemporary art centre. The park presents three contemporary art exhibitions each year; its programme also includes talks, workshops and concerts. A guided tour of the sculpture forest is offered on the first Sunday of each month at 2 pm. If you are interested in a tour or event, check the current programme in advance.

Landgoed Geijsteren covers about 700 hectares, and the Oostrumse Molenbeek stream runs through the estate. Three different walking route lengths are available. Stops along the route include the St. Willibrordus Chapel, dating from 1680, and the Rosmolen, a former watermill complex. The route also passes through Boschhuizerbergen, a landscape shaped by drifting sand and juniper. Another place of interest is the restored Geijsteren Castle Ruins, which are open to visitors. Guided visits are available by prior reservation or as part of the relevant tours.

Natuurleerpad De Paardekop also has notable stops: the nature trail includes an 18-metre-high observation tower, a pond with stepping stones and a sod hut.

Water Landscapes and Getting Around

In Wanssum, which is part of Gemeente Venray, the marina has more than 200 modern berths, the necessary facilities and a café with a terrace. Check the latest information on berths and facilities if these are important to your plans. Also in Wanssum, the reopening of an old branch of the Maas and other measures helped create Maaspark Noord-Limburg, a nature area rich in water. Walking and hiking trails, as well as stepping stones across streams, let visitors explore the landscape on foot. Canoeing, stand-up paddleboarding and boating are among the outdoor activities listed for Venray and the surrounding church villages.

Venray is accessible by train via the Maaslijn. Several bus routes run from Venray station to the centre and other places in Venray. If you plan to travel by public transport, check the current timetables. This makes it easy to choose the focus of your stay – a memorial site, museum, art, walking trail or waterside landscape.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Geijsteren, Venray, Oostrum, Blitterswijck, Veulen, Merselo, Wanssum, Ysselsteyn, Smakt.

For the main travel overview: Limburg.