There are almost 500 half-timbered houses in Celle’s city centre; Wienhausen Monastery adds medieval art treasures to the cultural landscape. This offers a range of ways to plan your trip, from city history and museums to monastery architecture or tours through the countryside.
Half-timbered houses, city history and museums in Celle
A guided tour for individual visitors takes you through Celle’s old town and shares information about the castle, the city’s history and its half-timbered houses. No advance booking is required. If you prefer to follow a specific route, Celle offers a very easy 3.22-kilometre walk from the ducal palace to the synagogue. The synagogue is now considered the oldest largely preserved half-timbered synagogue in Lower Saxony.
The museums also offer a range of different experiences. During the day, Celle Art Museum displays painting, graphic art, sculpture, light art and object art indoors. The museum is closed at night; light art on and behind its glass façade can be seen from outside. The German Oil Museum in Wietze offers a glimpse of part of the historic Wietze oil field, with numerous original, working technical relics. With its magnificent interior, the Baroque Stechinelli Chapel in southern Wietze is a worthwhile side trip.
Wienhausen Monastery and its art treasures
The former Cistercian monastery in Wienhausen is considered an example of North German Brick Gothic and half-timbered architecture. Its medieval art treasures include tapestries from the 14th and 15th centuries, a painted nuns’ choir, valuable chests and cabinets, and a collection of the world’s oldest spectacles. Experts explain the Gothic tapestries for one week each year, traditionally beginning on the Saturday after Pentecost. Check the dates before your trip.
The “Hiking around Wienhausen” tour passes through the historic centre, with its half-timbered houses, goes by St. Mary’s Church and ends at the monastery, which welcomes visitors from April to October. The mill canal also tells the story of the area: its water was used to operate the mills and supply the monastery. One route follows the canal along Mühlenstraße.
Cycling and hiking trails in the SĂĽdheide
SĂĽdheide Nature Park has ten signposted themed cycling routes with a combined length of more than 400 kilometres. They lead to notable sights and pass through heathland, forests, heathland streams, and moorland and pond landscapes. There are also 23 themed hiking trails, five nature discovery trails and three long-distance hiking trails to choose from. The themed cycling routes connect sights with a range of landscapes; the hiking options include themed routes, nature discovery trails and long-distance trails.
A section of the Aller Cycle Route passes through Wietze and by the Hornbostel grazing pasture, crossing broad river meadows. Canoeing on the heathland streams in Celle district is permitted subject to restrictions each year from 16 May to 14 October. Check local restrictions and water levels before setting off.
The Celle Medicinal Plant Garden is close to the city centre, by the Dammaschwiesen meadows and the River Aller. A guided tour introduces the uses and history of selected medicinal plants, with a focus on their use in traditional medicine, including homeopathy and modern phytotherapy.
Planning your stay and choosing a focus
When choosing a hotel, it helps to first decide what you want to focus on during your stay: city tours and museums, art and architecture at the monastery, or cycling and hiking tours through the countryside appeal to different travel interests. The interactive Region Celle Navigator helps with planning, offering information about cycling, hiking and horse-riding tours, places to eat and stay, sights, museums and heathland in SĂĽdheide Nature Park and Celle district.
Discover more destinations: Eldingen, Winsen / Aller, Faßberg, Hermannsburg, Wietze, Wienhausen, Nienhagen, Müden, Meissendorf, Hambühren, Eversen, Eicklingen, Celle, Eschede, Bergen, Langlingen, Weyhausen, Nordburg, Unterlüß, Oberohe, Adelheidsdorf, Wathlingen, Lohheide, Oldendorf, Bröckel, Habighorst, Ahnsbeck.
For the broader travel overview: Lower Saxony.
