Mettmann combines city history and art with leisure activities in the urban forest. When choosing where to stay, it is worth distinguishing between attractions in the city and other places to discover in the district of Mettmann: This lets you focus on culture, outdoor activities or a regional excursion.
City History and Art in Mettmann
At the City History House, you can learn about more than a thousand years of Mettmann’s history across three floors. Topics range from the early long-distance trade route “strata coloniensis” and the construction of the royal court during the time of Charlemagne to the present day. Here, you can encounter both early transport routes and a construction project from the time of Charlemagne—two different points of reference for exploring the city’s history.
The Mettmann Art House offers a different cultural focus: Around twelve visual arts exhibitions and events are organized there each year. The program includes funded and private exhibitions featuring artists from Germany and abroad. Painting and sculpture are presented alongside photography, object and video art. If you want to visit a particular exhibition, check the current program in advance, as individual dates change.
Activities in the Urban Forest
The recreation area in the urban forest brings together a variety of options: Facilities include a skate park, a climbing wall, a beach volleyball court and a dirt bike track. There are also barbecue areas, a children’s garden, an insect house and other activity stations for children. The range of options combines exercise and nature-related activities without requiring you to commit to just one.
For the “On the Trail of Nature” program, children meet at the recreation area to explore and investigate the surrounding area. The natural swimming pool, located in the heart of the urban forest, also offers swimming without chemical additives. If a visit to the pool is a key part of your stay, check current opening hours in advance.
Museum and Evolution Trail
The Neanderthal Museum offers a range of guided tours for adults and special tours for groups of children. If you are planning a guided tour, check the museum’s current booking details. The “Mettmann Evolution Trail” is a highly immersive link between the Neanderthal town of Mettmann and the Neanderthal Museum. Alongside the guided tours, this trail—with its own connection between the town and the museum—offers another option to consider when planning your visit.
More Places to Visit in the District of Mettmann
The district of Mettmann also has destinations with a different historical and natural focus. The former Roman fort of Haus Bürgel is located in the Monheim district of Baumberg, within the Urdenbacher Kämpe nature reserve; its history dates back around 2,000 years. Today, Haus Bürgel combines a Roman museum, a biological station and a horse farm specializing in cold-blooded horses. The biological station manages protected areas in the city of Düsseldorf and the district of Mettmann, and offers excursions, lectures and nature-related activities.
In WĂĽlfrath, the Time Tunnel combines an exhibition venue with an entertaining presentation of geological processes; the experience is aimed at children and adults. In Ratingen, meanwhile, the LVR Industrial Museum at the Cromford Textile Factory tells the story of early industrialization between 1750 and 1850 in original 18th-century buildings. The focus is on the BrĂĽgelmann cotton mill, described as the first factory on the European continent. A visit therefore combines industrial history with the buildings in which it is told.
Compare Hiking and Cycling Options
The routes in the district of Mettmann also differ considerably in duration and scope. The signposted A 3 – Junkernbusch circular hiking trail is around 3.4 kilometers long; allow about an hour for the hike. By contrast, the neanderland STEIG is a route that circles the entire district, stretching almost 240 kilometers over 17 stages. These figures give you two different scales to plan by: a hike with a manageable time commitment or a stage route covering the entire district.
For a cycling route, the nearly 40-kilometer PanoramaRadweg niederbergbahn follows a disused historic railway line and connects Haan, WĂĽlfrath, Velbert and Heiligenhaus. As well as hiking trails, you can therefore choose from regional cycling routes with their own distinct itineraries.
Discover more travel destinations: Velbert, Ratingen, Mettmann, Langenfeld, Hilden, Heiligenhaus, Haan, Erkrath, Monheim am Rhein, WĂĽlfrath.
Go to the main travel overview: North Rhine-Westphalia.
