Herford
Accommodation in Herford
Herford combines contemporary art and striking architecture with a long history as a city. It is also home to a historic church, a museum dedicated to the city’s history and a nature reserve nearby. If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Herford, you can plan your stay around whether you would mainly like to explore museums and architectural history or also spend time on a cycling and walking trail.
Art and architecture at Marta Herford
The internationally oriented Marta Herford museum is dedicated to contemporary art, with a particular focus on its connections to architecture and design. The museum building itself gives a visit a distinctive spatial dimension: it has curved and sloping walls, and its façade was designed by American architect Frank Gehry. The dynamic spatial volumes turn every exhibition into a special spatial experience.
Accessibility is also clearly described for planning a visit: the museum is accessible without barriers from the station forecourt. All exhibition and visitor areas can be reached by ramps or an elevator. This makes it possible to combine an art visit with a look at the building’s unusual architecture.
The Münster and the city’s history
Herford Münster was the church of the Imperial Abbey of Herford and Herford’s original parish church. Construction began in 1220 under Abbess Gertrud II of Lippe, above an Ottonian predecessor building. The Münster was built in the late Romanesque style and is considered the first large-scale hall church in northern Germany. High and late Gothic additions complement the building on the scale of a bishop’s church. As a model for many churches of the same type, the Münster also provided important impetus for the spread of Gothic architecture.
Another way to explore the city’s past is to visit the Daniel-Pöppelmann-Haus. The architecturally notable ensemble includes the Schönfeld entrepreneurs’ villa and an exhibition hall added later. The Municipal Museum in the building uses exhibits and media stations to present Herford’s history of more than 1,200 years. Along with the varied programme of art and history events hosted by the Herford Art Association and the Municipal Museum, the house offers several points of interest for a visit.
Explore the city and enjoy the outdoors
If you would like to get to know Herford in an interactive way, the city scavenger hunt combines playful tasks with historical, architectural and cultural discoveries. Allow around two to three hours for it. The historical “Between Gothic and Gehry” city tour offers a different perspective, providing information about Herford’s founding and development up to the construction of the Marta museum.
For an outing in the countryside, the Füllenbruch nature reserve is located near Herford. The 138-hectare protected area lies between the western edge of the city and Oetinghausen, a district of the municipality of Hiddenhausen. The route of the former narrow-gauge railway from Herford to Enger runs through the area. Today, it is a popular regional cycling and walking trail. The trail offers a different way to experience the surroundings than visiting museums and historic buildings.
The Bismarck Tower on Stuckenberg is also a popular destination for an outing and an important historic monument. Its viewing platform offers expansive views across the region.
Discover more destinations
If you would like to compare more destinations, you can also find information here about Löhne, Sundern, Rödinghausen, Vlotho, Enger, Kirchlengern, Spenge and Bünde.
Herford is an IC/ICE railway station. This means that when planning your trip, you can consider both travelling by train and choosing between the city’s cultural attractions and an outing to Füllenbruch. The range of experiences gives your search for a holiday apartment in Herford a clear focus: art and architecture, history or nature nearby.
For the main travel overview: Herford.
