Lingen (Ems): Art, history and city experiences

Art and city history in Lingen

The Kunsthalle Lingen preserves, cares for and presents part of Harry Kramer’s estate. The artist, who was born in Lingen in 1925, took part in documenta III in Kassel in 1964. A permanent exhibition at the Emsland Museum presents the history of the city of Lingen and southern Emsland from the Middle Ages to the Second World War. The collection on display there also includes the throne treasure of the Lingener Kivelinge, with royal chains dating back five centuries.

A closer look at former ways of living leads to the former coach house of Palais Danckelmann. The Emsland Museum presents Emsland architecture and domestic culture there. The half-timbered house dates from 1728; its rooms include a typical bedroom with an original Butze, or bed cupboard, a Baroque room, an 18th-century bourgeois room and a living room from the Biedermeier period. The different rooms show the variety of themes covered by the museum.

The Art and Culture Villa is an exhibition venue for the city of Lingen’s historical and cultural collections. These include works from the municipal art collection, books from the Georgianum Baroque library, old photographs, a work of art by Harry Kramer and historical toys from the former Adelmann shop. Together, these collections offer different ways to explore Lingen’s art, everyday history and culture of remembrance.

City game, guided tours and leisure pool

In the Emsland Museum’s city game, children aged eight and over decipher secret codes that reveal their next destination in the city centre. The Lingen City Experience 2026 programme also includes a Kids Safari, where children can explore the city centre on their own. Both activities focus on discovery, but in different ways: one through coded clues, the other through independent exploration.

Those interested in Lingen’s history can also consider a guided city tour. Lingen Wirtschaft + Tourismus GmbH offers a wide variety of city tours with insights into the city’s history. The Tourist Information Office at Neue Straße 3a is the stated starting point for the tours described. Tickets for the guided city tours in the 2026 programme are also available there. Checking the current tour programme can help with planning.

Another kind of outing is a visit to the Linus Lingen leisure pool. It has more than 1,000 square metres of water area and attractions such as Brodelberg, a current channel and the more than 100-metre-long Black Hole slide. This means Lingen offers cultural and historical attractions alongside a water-based leisure option.

Those who want to combine several of these interests can use them as a starting point for planning their own day.

Emsland as a wider travel destination

The wider travel destination of Emsland also has its own natural and cultural landscapes. In the northeast of the district of Emsland, Hümmling Nature Park covers around 580 square kilometres. Cycling and hiking trails with information stations along the way pass historic sites, megalithic tombs and the Baroque Clemenswerth Palace. The palace park at Clemenswerth covers 42 hectares and includes the Gloriette, the garden pavilion of Elector Clemens August.

Another nature experience in Emsland is the Crane Trail. It runs for about 2.5 kilometres into the Theikenmeer nature reserve; the return journey follows the same route, making about five kilometres in total. An observation platform offers panoramic views of Lake Theikenmeer and the moorland of Wehmer Dose. There is also an observation hut on the lakeshore.

For a longer cycling trip through Emsland, the 395-kilometre Emsland Route forms a circular tour through five landscapes: Northern Ems Valley, Hümmling, Bourtanger Moor, Hasetal and Southern Emsland. The route connects 19 towns; towns in Emsland along the route can serve as starting and finishing points. It is very well signposted, mostly flat, paved and traffic-free, making it especially suitable for beginners and families with children.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Haren / Ems, Renkenberge, Geeste, Lathen, Holte, Stavern, Lünne, Kluse.

Back to the main travel overview: Emsland.