Mellinghausen: Romanesque Church and Alpaca Farm

Alpaca walks and farm café

On ALBWOLLE’s alpaca walks, participants learn about the animals’ origins, care and husbandry. The activity combines being outdoors with a specific topic centred on the animals. Check the availability of walks directly with ALBWOLLE before your visit.

Since mid-2022, ALBWOLLE has run a family-owned alpaca farm in Mellinghausen, with a farm shop and café. At weekends, the café serves homemade cakes and waffles. Before your visit, check directly with the farm for its current operating arrangements and for the café’s opening days and availability.

A Romanesque church with a long history

The large Romanesque Church of St John the Baptist dates back to 1277. Its architecture and date give Mellinghausen a distinctive cultural and historical character. Anyone interested in churches and historic architecture will find a specific attraction here, clearly distinct from the animal experience at the alpaca farm.

More experiences in the wider destination of Diepholz

Looking beyond Mellinghausen to the wider destination of Diepholz, the district encompasses two tourism regions and two nature parks. They offer a range of attractions centred on museums, peatlands and waterside activities. You can tailor your stay to the topics that interest you most beyond the attractions in Mellinghausen.

The Dümmer Museum in Lembruch presents the nature, landscape and culture of Lake Dümmer—past, present and future. The “Life in Water” research station explains the ecology of the Dümmer ecosystem in detail. The Stone Age at Dümmer is also brought to life: original artefacts dating from 4,000 to 2,000 BC and reconstructions make this era tangible.

The museum also offers a two-hour discovery tour exploring life in the waters of Lake Dümmer. Participants use nets, a plankton net, a thermometer, a questionnaire and a microscope. The activity is intended for families and smaller groups of fewer than 15 people, school classes, and groups of up to 25 people.

The Forum Gesseler Goldhort at the Syke District Museum offers a different cultural and historical focus. It is the district of Diepholz’s museum of cultural and everyday history, presenting everyday life from the Stone Age to the threshold of the present day. The two museums therefore offer different perspectives: in Lembruch, the focus is on Lake Dümmer and its nature, landscape and culture; in Syke, it is on everyday history across a long period.

Those who prefer to spend time outdoors will also find a range of options in the wider destination of Diepholz. A roughly two-kilometre peatland discovery trail with ten informative stops runs through the Diepholz peatland and brings the peatland ecosystem to life in every season. A cycle route signposting system guides recreational cyclists along around 1,700 kilometres of routes across the district. The 137-kilometre Hunte River Cycle Route runs from Elsfleth to Lake Dümmer. As route conditions can change, check the current state of the route before setting off.

Choose the right focus for your holiday apartment

If you want to focus mainly on the church and alpaca farm, Mellinghausen is the specific place to look for a holiday apartment. If you want your stay to centre more on museum visits, peatland experiences or longer cycling trips, include your preferred destinations when choosing where to stay.

Discover more destinations: Syke, Sudwalde, Stuhr, Hüde, Lembruch, Heiligenrode, Asendorf, Sulingen.

View the wider travel overview: Diepholz.