The International Wind and Watermill Museum in Gifhorn features 13 full-size mills from around the world. The collection adds a distinctive cultural dimension to Gifhorn District, whose landscape includes heathland, forests, moorland, rivers and lakes. The district is also home to the Drömling, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Mill culture and nature offer different ways to discover Gifhorn as a travel destination.
Mills, museums and border history
The village square on the grounds of the International Wind and Watermill Museum in Gifhorn is freely accessible to all visitors. Fresh bread from the historic bakehouse and regional specialities are also available in the farm shop. Before your visit, briefly check the access arrangements and what is on offer at the bakehouse and farm shop.
Brome Castle is one of more than 70 border fortresses in the Principality of Lüneburg. At events held by the Living Museum at Brome Castle Museum, visitors can try their hand at forging iron or hammering wooden nails into shoes. As these hands-on activities are only available during events, check the dates in advance.
Landscapes and nature experiences
BernsteinSee covers 9.5 hectares and is up to 16 metres deep. It lies in Sassenburg-Stüde, right beside the Elbe Lateral Canal, amid woodland, heathland and moorland. The ornithological walking trail around Tankumsee offers a different nature experience: information boards along the route introduce the birds found at the lake.
At the OTTER-ZENTRUM Hankensbüttel, visitors can observe otters as well as badgers, stoats, stone martens, polecats, mink and pine martens in enclosures designed to resemble their natural habitats. The NABU Species Conservation Centre in Leiferde has a different focus: it cares for native wild animals in need, mainly birds, and returns recovered animals to their natural habitats as quickly as possible. The centre also provides environmental education, answers enquiries daily, supplies materials and connects people with nature conservation organisations.
The Moorbahn Großes Moor takes visitors into the Great Moor, in the municipality of Sassenburg, in covered carriages specially adapted for passenger transport, travelling at six kilometres per hour. The service is seasonal and weather-dependent, so check your planned date in advance. The circular route has two stops, a boardwalk and an observation platform.
Cycling in Gifhorn District
The cycling network in Gifhorn District comprises around 700 kilometres of leisure cycling routes, plus an additional 550 kilometres of everyday routes and connecting paths. Around 400 signposted junctions can be combined to plan individual cycling routes. The Südheide “Cycling” brochure lists 14 signposted tours; you can download GPX tracks and further information using a QR code. The brochure and route data may be updated, so it is advisable to check the latest version before setting off. This allows you to use the designated leisure routes, everyday network and junctions according to your preferred route-planning approach.
Discover more destinations: Weyhausen, Wesendorf, Tappenbeck, Ribbesbüttel, Gifhorn, Isenbüttel, Leiferde, Müden, Meinersen, Dedelstorf, Sprakensehl, Hankensbüttel, Schönewörde, Sassenburg, Steinhorst, Groß Oesingen, Obernholz, Emmen, Neudorf-Platendorf, Räderloh, Wilsche, Vollbüttel, Hagen, Behren, Rühen, Brechtorf, Abbesbüttel, Hillerse, Brome, Meine, Bokensdorf, Calberlah, Ehra-Lessien, Wittingen, Bergfeld, Ummern, Tiddische, Didderse, Tülau, Vordorf, Wahrenholz.
For the overarching travel overview: Lower Saxony.
