Discover Hagen: Museums, Water and History

Museums and History in Hagen

The Hagen City Museum, together with the Osthaus Museum Hagen and the Emil Schumacher Museum Hagen, forms the Museums Quarter. The City Museum offers guided tours, workshops and special activity days; families can also use a museum backpack to explore independently. The Hagen City Museum is family-friendly and offers events for visitors of all ages. This puts both exploring together and a range of ways to engage with the exhibits at the heart of the experience.

Another museum visit takes you to Werdringen Moated Castle, first mentioned in the 13th century. Today it serves as a museum and event venue. The Hagen Archaeology Museum – Werdringen Moated Castle focuses on geology and archaeology; visitors can explore the museum inside the castle without a guided tour. The castle café serves coffee, cake and waffles, as well as vegetarian and vegan dishes.

Since 1999, Villa Hohenhof has been an anchor point on the Industrial Heritage Route. The Hagen Bunker offers another historical perspective: its faithfully reconstructed basement conveys what life was like during the bombing raids of the Second World War. Hagen Adult Education Centre, together with the City Archive and the City Museum, regularly offers tours of the bunker and other surviving air-raid shelters from the Second World War and the Cold War.

Circular Trails, Crafts and Special Discoveries

For those who want to explore Hagen on foot, the 3 Towers Trail is a circular hiking route just under twelve kilometres long. It passes the Bismarck Tower, the Kaiser Friedrich Tower and the Eugen Richter Tower. The route links these three tower destinations in a circular walk; its length is a useful guide when planning your day. For a very different kind of discovery, the world’s first walk-through model of the solar system, featuring large bronze plaques, extends across several locations in the city.

At the LWL Open-Air Museum Hagen, groups can print historical patterns onto a piece of fabric measuring around 100 × 120 cm in the indigo dyeing workshop and the neighbouring dye garden. This hands-on activity offers something different from museum visits and historic sites. The Hagen Orchestra also offers various types of concerts: symphony concerts, chamber concerts, family and baby concerts, as well as special concerts. When choosing your travel itinerary, you can therefore decide between a visit focused on history, a hike and cultural events.

Rivers and Excursions on the Water

Lake Hengstey lies in the north of Hagen, where the Lenne and Volme flow into the Ruhr. SeeBad Hengstey is located directly on the Ruhr Valley Cycle Route and, in addition to summer swimming, is a year-round destination for walkers, cyclists, water tourists and other visitors. Its varied uses make it an appealing spot for different kinds of outings, and a visit is not limited to the swimming season.

The Ruhr, Volme, Lenne and Ennepe rivers also offer opportunities for activities on the water: fishing, pedal boating and canoeing invite you to experience Hagen and its surroundings from an active perspective. The Lenne Whitewater Park adds a sporting focus to these offerings. It hosts international races and is suitable for both recreational paddlers and top athletes.

These different interests can help you choose a holiday rental: would you mainly like to visit museums and historic sites, go hiking or spend time enjoying activities on the water? Hagen offers a range of themes, each of which can be the focus of a trip. The city of Hagen can also be explored as a destination in its own right.

More destinations: Hamm, Märkischer Kreis, Düsseldorf, Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis, Olpe, Paderborn, Heinsberg.

For the regional travel overview: North Rhine-Westphalia.