Anyone looking to combine music, parkland and waterside paths in Gronau (Westphalia) will find a variety of options: the rock’n’popmuseum is located in Inselpark, close to Gronau station and the city center. Dreiländersee offers a different focus, with its seasonal swimming area and walking paths. These places offer different ways to shape your stay.
Rock’n’popmuseum and Inselpark
Gronau’s Inselpark was created on the former site of the van Delden spinning mill. Canals divide it into individually designed islands. From the tip of the LAGA Pyramid, you can look out over the entire Inselpark and the city center—a useful landmark for anyone who wants to combine landscaped parkland with city views.
The rock’n’popmuseum is also located in Inselpark. Its multimedia exhibition brings together sounds, images and exhibits, giving it a strong musical focus. The museum is accessible to visitors with disabilities; facilities include an elevator, an accessible restroom and sturdy wheelchair ramps. As operational details may change, check the latest information before your visit.
Water features, climbing walls and landmarks
In front of the rock’n’popmuseum, the water maze features numerous water attractions. Fountains rise from the ground there at changing intervals. The former stair tower of the van Delden spinning mill offers a different attraction: it is 19 meters high and has two climbing walls with different levels of difficulty.
The city park’s zoo is home to numerous bird species as well as coatis, monkeys, donkeys, goats, porcupines and fallow deer. If you prefer to use a single landmark as your point of reference, the water tower, visible from far away, is a distinctive feature of Gronau. The Udo Lindenberg monument stands in the middle of the city at a roundabout on the old B54 highway and makes a good photo opportunity.
Dreiländersee: swimming area and walking path
Dreiländersee is all about water and outdoor activities. During the summer months, it has a swimming area with a white sandy beach and water playground. The lake covers 28 hectares, is registered as an official EC bathing water site, and is regularly tested and monitored by the public health department. As the swimming area and seasonal operations may change, it is advisable to check the latest conditions before your visit.
A walking path about 2.9 kilometers long circles the lake. The name refers to its cross-border setting: Dreiländersee connects the Netherlands, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. Anyone looking for a shorter walk will find a different distance here from the 10.5-kilometer hiking route, which also starts at the lake.
Cycling and hiking around Gronau
A cycling route leads from the Inselpark grounds via Dreiländersee, past the De Oelemars bird sanctuary and along the Dinkel river back to Gronau. The Laga Route follows the paths of the first cross-border state garden show, held in Gronau and Losser in 2003, and connects the two towns. The Losser–Gronau Dinkel Project also created paths, boardwalks and bridges for cycling and walking along the newly landscaped Dinkel.
The longer hiking route starts at Dreiländersee and passes through a 740-hectare area of moorland and heath. Along the way, low dune ridges and wet heathland shape the landscape; the area provides habitats for meadow birds. Two observation towers are located along the route. For outdoor excursions, you can choose between an approximately 2.9-kilometer loop around the lake and a 10.5-kilometer hiking route, each with a different distance and landscape.
Discover more destinations: Ahaus, Heiden, Raesfeld, Reken, Borken, Isselburg, Gescher, Bocholt.
Back to the main travel overview: Borken.
