Losser: History, Geology and Culture

Losser combines historic buildings with geology, cultural attractions, and opportunities for walking and cycling. You can plan your stay around these different highlights: from the tower of a demolished church to fossils and brickmaking history, and a cycling route through several towns.

Buildings and Local History

The Martinustoren is the freestanding tower with a saddle roof of the demolished St. Martinus Church and dates from around 1500. The tower can be climbed as part of a guided visit. The listed price for the guided climb is €2.50 per person; confirm before your visit whether this offer is available.

The Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built in 1901 and solemnly consecrated on June 3, 1902, by Monsignor Van de Wetering, Archbishop of Utrecht. The De Drie Bogen parish park opened next to the church in 2014. Together with the adjacent cemetery, it forms a noteworthy complex with the church. In the center of Losser, the Dorpsbleek and the Bleekwachtershuisje also form a monument together.

Erve Kraesgenberg Cultural Park comprises a reconstructed main farmstead, historic outbuildings, a rose garden, and an herb garden. The focus here is on farm buildings and gardens; the De Werklust brickworks, by contrast, offers a glimpse of brickmaking. It is a national heritage site where the entire process has been preserved, from the clay pit and ring kiln to the 45-meter-high chimney.

Geology and Fossils

The Losser Geological Museum curates and exhibits fossils from the municipality of Losser. It is housed in the Hengelhoes, a farmstead dating from the early 17th century in the center of Losser. Geological collections are thus presented in a historic building.

Another geological point of interest is the Staringgroeve in the village of Losser. It was established as a memorial to the Dutch geologist W.C.H. Staring (1808–1877), for geological research, and for collecting fossils. More than three meters of Losser sandstone from the Lower Cretaceous (Hauterivian) are exposed there. The fossil-rich sandstone formally forms part of the Gildehaus Sandstone stratigraphic unit. The museum and the exposure offer different perspectives: fossils from the municipality in one, and a visible geological rock exposure in the other.

Cultural Program and Events

Brilmansdennen Open-Air Theatre offers a varied cultural program. As the events change, check the theatre’s schedule before your trip.

A recurring event is the Bruegheliaans Festijn, held every August. A deserving resident of Losser or an association is awarded the honorary title of Voetstapper; their footprint is immortalized on the Brueghelpad. If you’d like to include the festival in your travel plans, check the specific dates.

Countryside and Trip Planning

Zandbergen is an extensive wooded area between Losser and the German border. Its diverse flora and fauna, along with opportunities for walking and cycling, offer a different focus from the town’s architectural and geological history. The De Oelemars observation tower is 24 meters high and offers a 360-degree panoramic view.

The guided Dorpswandeling Losser takes about an hour and a half; confirm its availability before your trip. For a cycling trip starting in Losser, there is the “Places of Remembrance” route, for which an updated version was created in 2025. You can follow it using the free RouteYou navigation app or a written route description.

The Laga cycling route is 37 kilometers long and passes through Losser, Glane, Overdinkel, Gronau, and De Lutte. It follows the renewed Lagapad and returns via the “new” Smokkelpad. Check route conditions before setting off. The routes differ in scope: one starts in Losser and is called “Places of Remembrance,” while the other is characterized by its length and the places it passes through.

More Destinations

Discover more destinations: De Lutte, Beuningen, Overdinkel.

Back to the main travel overview: Losser.