A landing net, a plankton net and a microscope are part of a two-hour discovery tour at the Dümmer Museum in Lembruch. The tour explores life in the waters of the Dümmer and turns nature observation into a museum experience. The activity is aimed at families and smaller groups of fewer than 15 people, school classes, and groups of no more than 25 people. The district of Diepholz encompasses two tourism regions and two nature parks. At the Dümmer, in the moors and in the museums, visitors encounter different ways of engaging with the landscape and its history.
Discovering the water: from microscope to sail
The “Life in Water” research station at the Dümmer Museum provides a detailed explanation of the ecology of the Dümmer ecosystem. The museum also brings the Stone Age at the Dümmer to life through original objects dating from 4,000 to 2,000 BC and reconstructions. Setting the environment alongside early traces of human life offers two different perspectives on the same thematic area. The museum also presents the nature, landscape and culture of Lake Dümmer in the past, present and future. Sailing and windsurfing are among the leisure activities available at Lake Dümmer.
Moorland and trails
A roughly two-kilometre-long moorland discovery trail with ten informative stops runs through the Diepholz Moor. It brings the moor ecosystem to life in every season. Another discovery awaits at the multimedia Erlebniswelt Moorwelten in Wagenfeld, which focuses on moors and climate. The moor railway stops directly at Moorwelten and takes visitors to the “Moorpadd” nature discovery trail and the walking trails in the Neustädter Moor. If you plan to take the moor railway, check the current timetable before your visit.
The season also adds its own distinctive touch: in the wider region, in the Diepholz Moor Depression, countless cranes can be observed during the autumn months. The timing varies from year to year. While the moorland trail offers a look at the ecosystem in every season, crane watching is a seasonal activity.
Museums between everyday life and the past
The Syke District Museum with the Gesseler Goldhort Forum is the cultural and social history museum of the district of Diepholz. It presents everyday life from the Stone Age to the threshold of the present day. Alongside the exhibitions in Lembruch, it offers a different perspective on the region’s history: in Lembruch, the Dümmer, the landscape and early history take centre stage; in Syke, everyday life across a long period is the focus.
By bike or on the water
A cycle route guidance system directs recreational cyclists along around 1,700 kilometres of routes in the district of Diepholz. The 137-kilometre Hunte River Cycle Route runs from Elsfleth to Lake Dümmer. Its final stage passes through Goldenstedt to Dümmer Nature Park and its 16-square-kilometre lake; there, the Hüde nature conservation station and the Dümmer Museum in Lembruch invite visitors to stop by. The cycle route’s approximate total length and its endpoints provide a different point of reference from the cycle route guidance system, which covers the district.
The Hunte itself also offers a way to experience the area from the water: in the district of Diepholz, it has been developed as an attractive destination for nature-based tourism and canoeing. It is navigable by canoe for around 105 kilometres, from the Osnabrück region to Oldenburg. The cycle route and canoe route therefore differ both in how they are travelled and in their stated endpoints. You can also use the themes to help choose what to do: the Moorwelten focus on moors and climate, while the Dümmer combines water sports with museum visits.
Discover more destinations: Varrel, Syke, Stuhr, Asendorf, Sudwalde, Wagenfeld, Stemshorn, Lemförde, Sulingen, Heiligenrode, Campen, Kirchdorf, Bruchhausen-Vilsen, Bassum, Neubruchhausen, Lembruch, Hüde, Freistatt, Weyhe, Diepholz, Süstedt, Mellinghausen.
Go to the overarching travel overview: Lower Saxony.
