Alpen offers two different perspectives when planning a stay: the Protestant church, with its architectural and ecclesiastical history, and the Bönninghardt, with its settlement history, plaggen hut and woodland landscape. This gives you a choice of distinct cultural history and nature themes.

An Early Baroque Church and a Monument

The Protestant church in Alpen was built in 1602–1603. It is considered the oldest early Baroque church building on the Lower Rhine and the oldest Reformed parish church in Germany. These two classifications emphasize different aspects: the first points to its importance in the architectural history of the Lower Rhine, while the second highlights its special place in the history of the Reformed Church.

A bronze monument to Electress Amalia of the Palatinate stands beside the church. The building and the monument represent two distinct historical points of reference in the townscape of Alpen.

Bönninghardt: Building Methods, Settlement History and Forest

The plaggen hut on the Bönninghardt offers a tangible glimpse into local history. Its walls are made of timber and layers of grass sods. Old farming tools and the interior furnishings illustrate life there in the past; the construction and the furnishings offer different insights into the past.

The first settlers arrived on the Bönninghardt around 1770. They and their descendants lived there in very impoverished conditions until the beginning of the 20th century. This timeframe helps explain the hut and its historical context.

The Bönninghardt landscape also has distinctive features: it is home to old sweet chestnut trees, known as house trees, whose abundance is considered unique. The woodlands of the Bönninghardt are suitable for walks and family outings. There is also a forest playground.

In the Wider Wesel Travel Region

In Xanten, on the site of the Roman city of Colonia Ulpia Traiana, you’ll find the LVR Archaeological Park Xanten, Germany’s largest open-air archaeological museum. The LVR Roman Museum displays numerous original finds from the Roman city and the two legionary camps. The finds tell the story of the city’s founding, heyday and downfall; the museum also offers a journey through the Roman centuries in a spectacular building.

The park and Roman museum regularly host demonstrations, festivals and a variety of activities to watch and take part in. Dates and activities vary, so check what’s happening before your visit.

The Bislicher Insel in Xanten offers a different focus. It is one of the last natural floodplain landscapes on the Lower Rhine, and large areas are protected. In winter, the nature reserve provides a habitat for several thousand Arctic geese, particularly greater white-fronted geese and barnacle geese. Three observation huts along the path offer views of the water and, with a little luck, numerous bird species. Goose watching is limited to winter.

Discover more destinations: Moers, Rheinberg, Dinslaken, Hamminkeln, Voerde, Sonsbeck, Wesel, Hünxe

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