Discover Wiesmoor: Ottermeer, Garden Park and Moorland

There are many ways to discover Wiesmoor: by following a family-friendly circular trail around Ottermeer, visiting the garden park with its water organ and Tai Chi area, or cycling through the northern part of the town and the moorland. There is also art, a special adventure golf experience and the Flower Festival. This gives you the chance to pursue different interests during your stay and choose between a walk, a garden visit, culture and longer tours.

Ottermeer and the Garden Park

Ottermeer is a nature reserve covering around 116 hectares and the last remaining raised bog in the central area of Wiesmoor. Rare animal and plant species live there. The family-friendly circular trail around Ottermeer is about 2.6 kilometres long and passes a beach, a children’s playground and a large sunbathing lawn. If you’re travelling with children, you’ll find several different places to stop along the route. The approximate distance also gives you a helpful reference point when planning a walk into your day.

The garden park of Blumenhalle & Gartenpark Wiesmoor covers more than five hectares. At Blumenhalle & in the garden park, water fountains dance to music from a selection of changing pieces played by the water organ every half hour. There is also a Tai Chi area in the garden park. The water displays, music and garden park add a distinctive experience alongside the paths through the moorland. Erlebnisgolf Ostfriesland at Blumenreich complements the options with a special adventure golf course featuring handmade East Frisian obstacles.

Cycling tours, art and the Flower Festival

Two routes of different lengths and themes are available for cycling tours. The approximately 24-kilometre “Aphelandra” cycle route takes you through the northern part of Wiesmoor and runs alongside canals several times. The 35-kilometre “Along the Moor Railway Route” cycle tour follows the history of Wiesmoor through the moorland. The routes’ lengths and stated highlights set them apart: the Aphelandra focuses on the northern area and the canals, while the Moor Railway route focuses on the moorland and the town’s history.

The Wiesmoor art workshop offers changing art exhibitions, interesting courses and engaging events. This provides an explicitly art-focused option alongside nature and cycling experiences. At the Flower Festival in Wiesmoor, associations and local residents attach more than a million dahlia blossoms to handmade parade floats. On Sunday, the floats are presented in a large procession in front of thousands of spectators. Those interested in the festival will find a striking combination of floats created by the community and a vast number of dahlia blossoms.

Getting here and finding your way around

Wiesmoor can be reached by train via the stations in Augustfehn or Leer; there is also a Fehntjer bus connection from Augustfehn. A train ride to the Peat and Settlement Museum and back from the flower hall is available by prior arrangement. If you’re planning this museum visit, advance registration is one of the stated conditions for the trip.

Other places to help you find your bearings: Südbrookmerland, Berumbur, Wirdum, Großheide, Hinte, Hagermarsch, Krummhörn and Halbemond.

For the overview of the wider area: Aurich.