Steinfeld (Oldenburg) combines a short waterside loop with distinctive local landmarks and a longer cycling tour. The brickworks pond is in the middle of town and is a valuable habitat for animals and plants. For planning, it is worth keeping the different scales in mind: the short loop around the pond, art and remembrance in the townscape, and a longer route.

Brickworks Pond and Garden

The paved circular path around the brickworks pond is about 400 metres long and two metres wide, and is lined with old trees. Its short distance makes for a manageable walk. The pond is also a valuable habitat for animals and plants. There is an accessible picnic area by the pond, which can also be used by wheelchair users. From there, visitors can look out over the pond and observe waterfowl and nature around it.

The Meyer family’s Japanese Garden in Steinfeld covers 6,000 square metres and includes a teahouse and a moss garden. While the brickworks pond focuses on habitat and observing nature, the teahouse and moss garden give the garden a different emphasis.

Townscape and Remembrance

A huge, ancient erratic boulder is Steinfeld’s landmark and commemorates the soldiers who fell in the First and Second World Wars. Life-size, brightly painted horse sculptures line the main street leading to the church; locally, it is known as “Pferdestraße” (“Horse Street”). St. John the Baptist Church dates from 1899. There is a fountain and a plane tree on the town hall square, said to be 200 years old.

Walks and Longer Tours

The nature and culture walk starts and ends at the Haus am Ziegeleiteich nursing home in Steinfeld. For a longer cycling loop, the 18-kilometre Bauerschafts-Tour (Rural Communities Tour) runs through Steinfeld and Mühlen. Compared with the approximately 400-metre loop around the pond, it is considerably longer and therefore a different scale for planning your tours. Check the current route before setting out.

The Schemder Bergmark recreation centre is not far from the observation tower on Mordkuhlenberg; climbing the tower is particularly recommended. This adds a viewpoint as a planning destination alongside the circular walks and cycling tour.

More Options in the Wider Vechta Destination

In the wider Vechta destination, the view expands to Vechta district, where there are 31 hiking routes through floodplain and moorland landscapes, forests and hills, as well as past historic sights and natural monuments. The routes are marked according to the German Hiking Association’s quality criteria and have consistent signposting. Check the current route before a hike. For cyclists, the Vechta district network extends for about 870 kilometres. There are also 16 themed cycling routes, including “Explore Historic Estates” and “Art, Culture and Nature”. These regional options offer a different scale from the Bauerschafts-Tour through Steinfeld and Mühlen.

Plan Your Stay

When looking for a hotel or other accommodation, you can first decide what you would like to focus on during your stay: observing nature at the pond, art and places of remembrance in the townscape, or a longer cycling tour.

Discover more destinations: Neuenkirchen-Vörden, Lohne, Damme, Vechta, Bakum, Dinklage, Visbek, Goldenstedt.

Go to the wider travel overview: Vechta.