Viersen combines cultural attractions with a nature reserve south of the city. The Städtische Galerie im Park hosts changing exhibitions and houses an extensive print collection. In Dülken, the five-nave parish church of St. Cornelius and the Narrenmühle, with its recurring carnival tradition, shape the townscape. Bockerter Heide offers something different: short circular walking trails and opportunities to observe nature.
Art and Culture in Viersen
The Städtische Galerie im Park is centrally located in the city centre of Viersen. It is housed in a white Neoclassical villa dating from 1868. Every year, the gallery presents six to seven temporary exhibitions, each lasting several weeks. If you are planning a trip around a specific exhibition theme, check the dates in advance.
The gallery also houses the extensive print collection of the City of Viersen. Artists represented in the collection include, among others, Otto Dix, Picasso, Warhol and DĂĽrer. This means the venue combines a changing exhibition programme with a municipal collection. The gallery offers guided tours for school classes and groups; availability may depend on prior arrangement.
Another cultural venue is the Festhalle in Viersen. It opened in 1913 as a gymnasium and festival hall and has been used exclusively for cultural events since 1925. It hosts the World Billiards Championship every year. Its history as an event venue and the recurring competition give the building different cultural associations.
DĂĽlken: Church, Mill and Carnival
The Catholic parish church of St. Cornelius stands in DĂĽlken, a district of Viersen. It is one of the few five-nave churches on the Lower Rhine. Its distinctive architecture offers a different focal point from the exhibition venues in the city centre.
The NarrenmĂĽhle is a landmark of DĂĽlken; the lower part of the mill houses a carnival museum. Every year on 11 November, members of the Narrenakademie ride wooden hobby horses around the mill, marking the start of the DĂĽlken carnival season. The mill, museum and custom give the tradition a specific setting and a fixed date in the annual calendar.
Nature in Bockerter Heide
Bockerter Heide, a nature reserve covering around 169 hectares, lies south of the city. Three marked short circular walking trails lead through the area and are up to three kilometres long. Check the signage and trail conditions on site. The hikers’ car park can be reached via Hardter Straße and Bockerter Busch. Road and car park conditions can change, so it is useful to check local notices.
Numerous bird species can be observed in the heath, including the nightingale, European turtle dove and tree pipit. These species are listed as endangered on the Red List; sightings depend on the season and are not guaranteed. The flora includes, among other plants, velvet grass, red foxglove, hawthorn, birch and black alder. Which plants you can see varies with the season.
The District of Viersen as a Wider Context
At district level, the view broadens to include the Lower Rhine tourism destination: the district, with its towns and municipalities and Schwalm-Nette Nature Park, is an important part of this destination. The BahnRadweg Kreis Viersen is a regional route measuring 122.8 kilometres. It runs on or alongside disused railway lines through open fields and quiet forests, and leads to the lake landscape of the Krickenbecker Seen.
The short circular trails in Bockerter Heide and the BahnRadweg are different types of routes: marked local loops on the one hand, and a 122.8-kilometre regional route on the other. The Viersen circular route also offers further regional points of interest. A good starting point is the landing stage on the Niers near Viersen-Süchteln; the route initially follows the Niers for several kilometres through the Saalbruch nature reserve. Detours lead to the Clörather Mühle viewpoint and the historic centre of Dülken at cycle junction 40. There you will find the historic Geschichtsmeile and the Narrenmühle, an old post mill with a carnival museum. The circular route also passes the parish church of St. Maria Hilfe der Christen in Dornbusch.
Discover more destinations: Grefrath, Niederkrüchten, Tönisvorst, Nettetal, Schwalmtal, Willich, Kempen, Brüggen
Return to the main travel overview: Viersen.
