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Uplengen: Discover Moorland Trails, a Windmill and Nature

Accommodation in Uplengen

2 adults · no children · 1 room
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In Uplengen, nature experiences meet local history brought to life: hiking trails in the Holle Sand nature reserve, a circular route through Stapeler Moor and Remels Windmill offer different reasons to explore the area. The leisure complex by the bathing lake in Großsander adds another distinctive attraction. If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Uplengen, start by considering whether you would like your stay to focus on trails through nature, local history or time by the water.

Schöpfwerk am Nordgeorgsfehnkanal in Uplengen Schöpfwerk am Nordgeorgsfehnkanal in Uplengen Photo: Matthias Süßen via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Hiking in Holle Sand and Stapeler Moor

The Holle Sand nature reserve is home to numerous animal and plant species. Its well-signposted walking trails are marked using a junction-based system. Holle Sand is therefore a destination focused on nature, while the Stapeler Moor Moorland Experience Trail combines experiencing nature with vivid traces of the historic routes that once crossed the moor.

The Moorland Experience Trail is a 1.6-kilometre circular hiking route. Its features include an observation tower and a reconstruction of an ancient plank path, like those that crossed the moor thousands of years ago. The route’s length provides a clear reference point for planning your outing, while the reconstruction also highlights a historic form of path construction. Holle Sand and the Moorland Experience Trail therefore appeal to different interests: the former focuses on marked walking trails and the nature reserve’s animal and plant life, while the latter offers a circular route with an observation tower and an explanatory reconstruction.

Remels Windmill and the bathing lake in Großsander

Remels Windmill is a gallery Dutch windmill dating from 1803. The municipality of Uplengen acquired the mill in 1963 and uses it as a registry office and to display an exhibition of historic agricultural equipment. Architecture, present-day use and agricultural history come together here in one place. Visits and guided tours are possible by prior arrangement; contact the local tourist information office to coordinate the details of your visit.

A visit to the leisure complex by the bathing lake in Großsander offers something different: there is a snack bar with a kiosk. To check whether it is currently open, ask locally. Taken together, Uplengen’s attractions range from nature trails to a building of cultural and historical interest and a leisure complex by a lake. When looking for a holiday apartment in Uplengen, your preferred focus can be a good starting point: consider what kind of outing you would like to shape your stay, and use that to guide your search.

More to discover in the wider destination of Leer

The wider destination of Leer offers further attractions, each with its own character. Evenburg Castle in Leer is a cultural monument of regional significance and comprises the castle, park and outer bailey. Since May 2014, it has been open with a permanent exhibition on the life and work of an aristocratic family in the 19th century, as well as serving as a centre for garden culture. The former Jewish School in Leer also has a distinct role as a place of remembrance and encounter: it is a memorial and meeting place run by the district of Leer.

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The museums in Leer each focus on different subjects. The Bünting Tea Museum covers the cultivation, production and preparation of tea on two floors, as well as the history of East Frisia’s favourite drink. The Leer Local History Museum focuses on East Frisian domestic culture and local shipping. At the Telecommunications Museum, visitors can experience 150 years of communications history through rare exhibits and working technology. Public guided tours of the city include, among other places, the old town hall, the historic weigh house and Haus Samson; the tour lasts 1.5 hours. Haus Samson, an Amsterdam-style gabled house, has been a feature of Leer’s old town since 1643.

The wider destination of Leer also offers a variety of outdoor attractions. The Westerhammrich recreation area in the northwest of Leer covers about 1 km², with a lake of about 15 hectares at its centre. It features walking and cycling paths, places to relax and observation points. You can explore Leer’s harbour by water on a harbour tour aboard the “Koralle” canal boat. Borkum, an island in the district of Leer, lies in the Wadden Sea UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has been a seaside resort since 1850 and offers dune landscapes, a diverse range of animal and plant life, and kilometres of sandy beaches.

Leer can be reached by car via the A 28 from Bremen and Hamburg, the A 31 from the Ruhr region, and the Dutch A 7 from the Netherlands. By train, Leer is accessible both from Oldenburg and Bremen and from the Ruhr region. These travel details apply to Leer and complement Uplengen’s own attractions with a further perspective on the wider destination.

Discover more destinations: Nordgeorgsfehn, Bingum, Moormerland, Filsum, Rhauderfehn, Holtland, Nortmoor, Leer.

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