Stade: Hanseatic History, Museums and Waterways
Accommodation in Stade
Stade combines the history of a Hanseatic city with museums, a historic town centre and waterways. When planning your stay, you can choose between different ways to explore, from the city’s history and a visit to the open-air museum to active excursions by bike or paddle boat. When choosing a holiday apartment in Stade, it is therefore worth considering which aspects of the town you would most like to experience.
File:Stade, Hansehafen -- 2018 -- 2961.jpg
Photo: Dietmar Rabich via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Old Town and Hanseatic History
The historic town centre can be explored on foot in one to two hours. A guided tour of the old town introduces the main sights of the Hanseatic city. You can make the city’s history the focus of your visit or combine a guided tour with other cultural experiences. St. Wilhadi Church is the oldest church in Stade. The tower tour at St. Cosmae lasts around 45 minutes and is limited to a maximum of eight guests per tour—a small-group format that is quite different from exploring the town centre.
The Schwedenspeicher Museum explores Stade’s 1,000-year history, the importance of the Hanseatic League, and the ancient and early history of the Elbe-Weser region. The Hahnentor Gallery of the Stade Art Association (Kunstverein Stade e.V.) exhibits paintings, contemporary and experimental art, photography, sculpture, objects and installations. Those interested in the history of trade or different forms of artistic expression will find further cultural themes to explore during their stay. The culinary experience tour “Butter bei die Fische” focuses on the cuisine of the Hanseatic era.
Discover the Altes Land
The open-air museum in Stade presents the culture and nature of the Altes Land. Its grounds are open year-round and admission is free. The complex includes an Altes Land farmhouse dating from 1733, distinguished by richly decorated brickwork, its original room layout and much of its original furnishings. Weaving and spinning demonstrations take place in the Altes Land House on the last Sunday of every month. From May to September, 60-minute guided tours are also offered there on the second and last Sunday of each month. The regular demonstrations and guided tours offer different ways to experience the museum; take the dates listed into account when planning your visit.
Stade on the Water and on the Move
The paddling area extends for around ten kilometres from the Holzhafen in the town centre, around the old town and as far as the green meadows of the Schwinge Valley. The Stade Paddling Trails are a separate route: they run for seven kilometres from the Holzhafen, along the Burggraben and the Schwinge, towards Schwedenschanze. The History Trail, part of the Stade Paddling Trails, follows the Schwinge past 14 stops featuring historical images, explanations and milestones in Stade’s history. You can choose between a trip through the paddling area and a trail specifically focused on historical stops.
Cycling and pilgrimage routes are also useful to know about: the 530-kilometre Mönchsweg runs as a cycle route from Bremen via Stade to Wischhafen on the Elbe; the Way of St. James also passes through Stade. For excursions in the surrounding area, route 1 of the Elbe cycling bus runs from Stade via Drochtersen, Wischhafen and Freiburg to the Natureum Niederelbe at the mouth of the Oste. The S5 takes you from Elbgaustraße station via Hamburg Central Station, Harburg and Buxtehude to Stade without changing trains.
If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Stade, you can plan your stay around the mix of old-town sights, culture, cycling and paddling that suits you. The activities described have different focuses, from Hanseatic history to routes on the water and longer journeys through the region.
More town pages in the directory: Horneburg, Grünendeich, Freiburg, Oldendorf, Sauensiek, Nottensdorf, Drochtersen, Harsefeld.
Return to the main travel overview: Stade.
