Discover Olfen: Steveraue, Nature and History
Accommodation in Olfen
The Steveraue makes Olfen a destination where water, outdoor activities and culture each have their own appeal. You can experience the landscape on raft trips and guided tours, explore the 8 km-long Steverauenweg on foot or by bike, and discover buildings with different stories to tell. This combination is useful when planning a holiday apartment stay: you can focus on experiences along the Stever, cultural impressions or both.
Blick auf die Stever von der Dreibogenbrücke in Olfen.
Photo: Dietmar Rabich via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Steveraue: Exhibition, Raft and Trail
Opened in 2022, the Steveraue Nature Park Centre offers an interactive exhibition for all ages as well as a nest cinema. Activities in the Steveraue include raft trips, guided tours of the Steveraue and cycle rides along the Steverauenweg. On raft trips along the Stever, the Antonia raft offers views of the Steveraue. This gives you several perspectives to choose from: views from the water, a guided tour and exploring by bike.
The Steverauenweg is 8 km long and can be explored by bicycle or on foot. It passes waterways and historic buildings, as well as Heck cattle and Konik horses. The route length gives you a concrete guide for planning your day; choosing between walking and cycling lets you set your own pace. Another seasonal option is herb tours: from spring until late autumn, groups and families can learn about facts, legends, folklore, fairy tales and poetry. So, alongside outdoor activities, stories and language can also be part of a stay in Olfen.
Bridges, Mill and History
The buildings also provide different points of interest. The Füchtelner Mühle is one of the buildings in Olfen worth visiting. The Dreibogenbrücke is right beside the newly created riverside beach, while the Schiefe Brücke is located in the centre of Olfen. Schloss Sandfort in Olfen-Vinnum was first mentioned in the 13th century. Together, the bridges, mill and castle offer a cultural counterpoint to the activities in the Steveraue.
For your planning, this means that Olfen offers both water-related experiences and historic buildings. If you enjoy combining different ways of exploring, you can include them side by side in your plans rather than focusing your stay on just one activity. The places mentioned provide concrete ideas: an exhibition, a route, trips and guided tours, as well as buildings in Olfen and Olfen-Vinnum.
Coesfeld as a Wider Travel Region
The wider Coesfeld travel region is characterised by an exceptionally high concentration of palaces, castles and historic aristocratic residences. The district also offers a broader setting for cycling: an extensive network of several hundred kilometres of well-developed cycle paths connects towns, municipalities and districts and runs through the parkland of Münsterland. Münsterland’s cycle route network supports flexible route planning with numbered junctions and freely chosen sequences of numbers.
In the city of Coesfeld, the Walkenbrückentor is a remnant of the town fortifications dating from the 14th century. It houses the town museum “DAS TOR”, which brings Coesfeld’s past to life. It is open on Wednesdays from 16:00 to 19:00 and on Saturdays and Sundays from 14:00 to 17:00. The former synagogue in Coesfeld is open on Saturdays from 14:00 to 17:00. Check the opening hours again before visiting.
When looking for a holiday apartment, you can distinguish between these focuses: Olfen offers the experiences described in the Steveraue and its historic buildings, while the wider Coesfeld travel region broadens the picture with its regional cycle network and cultural venues in the city of Coesfeld. Consider which of these scales you want to shape your stay.
Discover more destinations: Nottuln, Coesfeld, Dülmen, Ascheberg, Lüdinghausen, Nordkirchen, Senden, Havixbeck
Go to the wider travel overview: Coesfeld.
