Wasserburg Gemen was built more than 900 years ago and stands on two islands in the former marshland of the Bocholter Aa. Its distinctive location and long history make it a notable starting point for discovering Borken’s historic side. Since 1946, the Diocese of Münster has operated the castle as a youth education centre under the name “Jugendburg Gemen.†Here, a historic building meets a use that continues to the present day.
Freiheit Gemen offers another historical perspective. It forms a distinctive urban ensemble and has been documented as a separate legal district since the Middle Ages, with a special legal status. Anyone interested in the history of a place will find more here than just a single building: there are also clues to how independently a community could be organised over time.
Culture and history in the Westmünsterland region
The kult Westmünsterland in Vreden explores the history and culture of the Westmünsterland region and the neighbouring Dutch region of Achterhoek. Its permanent exhibition looks at borders from several perspectives: trade and transport, smuggling and the law, faith and religion, globalisation and regional identity, and the past and present. This means the subject is explored not only through a line on a map, but also through different historical and social perspectives.
The Bocholter Handwerksmuseum offers a different way to experience regional culture: you can not only see traditional crafts there, but try them out yourself. Together with the exhibition in Vreden, it creates an appealing contrast between exploring regional history and hands-on experience of craftwork.
Explore the Borken district by bike
The Borken district is in North Rhine-Westphalia and the Münster administrative region, north of the Ruhr area. It is the westernmost district of the Münsterland and shares 108 kilometres of border with the Dutch regions of Achterhoek and Twente. This location offers opportunities for cross-border excursions. The region is also easy to explore by bike: more than 5,000 kilometres of well-maintained cycle paths in the district invite you to ride away from busy roads.
Themed cycling routes in the Borken district and the Münsterland include the 100-Schlösser-Route, the Hohe Mark RadRoute and the Flamingoroute. The 100-Schlösser-Route, the EuroVelo Route R1 and the Flamingoroute also meet in Vreden. The Münsterland’s junction-based cycle network makes it possible to plan flexible tours across state and district borders. You can use the routes mentioned as a guide for different excursion plans without committing to just one type of route.
Castle parks, nature and trails
The historic estates also offer ways to enjoy the outdoors beyond cycling. From Schlosspark Gemen, the approximately three-kilometre-long Sternbusch-Allee runs north to a bird sanctuary and other woodland. The park at Schloss Velen is a starting point for long walks through the neighbouring Tiergarten. These two examples show different ways to include parks and the surrounding countryside in your explorations.
At Tiergarten Schloss Raesfeld, there is a free nature activity area for the whole family. Covering 5,000 square metres, it features climbing and balance trails, a low ropes course, a pinecone-throwing area, a branch-building site and other nature-based play activities. You can view the exterior of the historic Raesfeld moated castle at any time. Guided tours of the grounds and the castle chapel, with its Baroque altar and lead heart, are also available.
At Pröbstingsee in Borken, a five-kilometre-long path runs around the lake. You can hire a pedal boat at the boathouse. This gives you two distinct ways to spend time by the water: a walk along the path or a pedal-boat ride. Which one best suits your day depends on what you feel like doing.
The Borken district combines appealing landscapes with buildings of cultural and historical significance, including moated castles and manor houses with parks. Various organisers offer exhibitions, concerts and events throughout the year across the district. For information about activities, package tours and group trips, contact the local tourist information offices and associations in the Borken district. You can put together visits to historic sites, cultural activities and regional excursions to suit your own interests.
Discover more destinations: Legden, Vreden, Velen, Stadtlohn, Schöppingen, Rhede, Raesfeld, Isselburg, Gronau, Gescher, Borken, Bocholt, Ahaus, Reken, Südlohn, Heek, Heiden.
Back to the main travel overview: North Rhine-Westphalia.
