Melle: River Fork, Mills and Discoveries
Accommodation in Melle
Near Melle-Gesmold, the River Hase divides: one branch flows towards the Ems and the North Sea, while the other flows as the Else via the Weser to the North Sea as well. This unusual course makes the bifurcation a destination for day trips and combines nature experiences with insights into the courses of two waterways. Cyclists can reach the bifurcation directly via the Else-Werre Cycle Path or the Hase-Ems Tour.
Timber-framed house at Grönenbergpark in Melle.
Photo: Basotxerri via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Bifurcation: Discover nature and waterways
At the environmental education centre, you can book historical tours, nature tours and pond-dipping excursions. The bifurcation also has a Green Classroom, where school classes can learn outdoors, right in nature. Children can use nets to catch small aquatic creatures in the Hase and Else and examine freshwater shrimps under a magnifying glass—a hands-on way to learn about tiny creatures in the water.
Once a year, the Bifurcation Day takes place at the bifurcation, with activities, tours, music and regional offerings.
Rural life and milling traditions
The Grönegau Museum Melle presents rural life and work in the past in a historic half-timbered complex that was relocated here. It includes a bakehouse, a small farmhouse, a granary and a carriage house.
The museum also includes a Bokemühle for processing flax, as well as fully equipped shoemaker’s, carpenter’s and blacksmith’s workshops. The different workshops showcase a range of crafts; together with the Bokemühle, they broaden the picture beyond agriculture and domestic life to include processing and skilled trades.
The Westhoyeler Wallholländer windmill offers another insight into grain processing. It was built in 1870 by the farmer Mölk. By prior arrangement, milling and baking days are held there on the fourth Sunday of every month from April to September, featuring milling demonstrations, mill tours and baking in the traditional bakehouse. These events explore the journey from grain to bread, with bread and cakes baked in the bakehouse. The regular monthly schedule from April to September sets these mill events apart from Bifurcation Day, which takes place only once a year.
Planet Trail and views
The Melle Planet Trail shows the Sun and the planets, along with the distances between their orbits, at a scale of 1:1 billion. It starts at the Sun’s starting point by the former youth hostel in Grönenberg Park and ends at the observatory of the Natural Science Association on Oldendorfer Berg.
For a different perspective, climb the 26-metre-high tower of Diedrichsburg, topped with battlements. It has an observation platform with far-reaching views; on a clear day, you can see as far as Osnabrück.
Find a holiday apartment in Melle to suit your interests
If you’re looking for a holiday apartment in Melle, you can plan your trip around the experiences that interest you most.
Discover more destinations
More destinations: Wallenhorst, Hagen am Teutoburger Wald, Hesepe, Bad Essen, Georgsmarienhütte, Gehrde, Bohmte, Merzen.
Back to the main travel overview: Osnabrück.
