Minden-Lübbecke: Mills, Moors and Weser Trails

Mills, art and routes through the district

The Mühlenkreis has 43 functioning wind, water and horse-powered mills. The Mill Route links more than 40 wind, water, horse-powered or motor-powered mills in an “open-air mill museum” along a circular route of around 280 kilometres. The Mühlensteig offers a different perspective: it connects ten restored mills in the Wiehen and Weser Hills over four daily stages, each 11 to 20 kilometres long. This puts a circuit featuring mills with different power sources alongside a hiking route described in daily stages as two distinct ways to explore the area.

The LandArt Route also makes culture part of the journey. Its five sections link more than 80 art and cultural venues. Along easily accessible paths, you can discover artworks, studios, galleries and other venues in the Mühlenkreis’s varied landscapes. When choosing a holiday apartment for this purpose, you can consider whether you want several such venues to be the focus, or whether you would prefer to prioritise other experiences.

Moors, the Weser and cycling trips

Well-known natural attractions in the district include the Großer Torfmoor in Hille and Lübbecke, the Oppenweher Moor in Stemwede and the Petershagen Weser floodplain. Guided walks with trained nature and landscape guides are offered at the Großer Torfmoor. This gives you the opportunity to experience the moor on a guided walk. You can take the three natural attractions into account as different destinations when planning your trip, rather than focusing your stay on just one type of landscape.

For cycling, the Mühlenkreis has eleven routes that cross the district. The Weser Cycle Route follows the Weser for around 520 kilometres, from Hann. Münden in the Weser Uplands to Cuxhaven on the North Sea. Within the district, it runs from Porta Westfalica to Petershagen. Individual sections of the Weser Cycle Route through the Mühlenkreis can be travelled by passenger boat. This option applies to specific sections and adds another way to enjoy part of the journey alongside the cycling route.

The Glacis circular walking trail offers another distinct route: it follows the Weser promenade, passes through the Fischerstadt and the Botanical Garden, reaches the mouth of the Bastau, and loops around Minden. If you choose your holiday apartment based on a particular focus, you can therefore choose between cycle routes through the district, a section of the Weser Cycle Route, or the described circular route around Minden.

Crafts, history and special experiences

At the LWL Industrial Museum Glashütte Gernheim, you can watch glassmakers use a blowing pipe, wooden mould and shears to shape glowing molten glass into vessels every day in the glass tower built in 1826. Around 2,000 exhibits showcase a range of glass objects, from preserving jars to ornate goblets. Much of the early industrial factory village of Gernheim, in what is now Petershagen, has been preserved in connection with the museum. A visit thus combines a glassmaking demonstration with the exhibits and the historic factory village.

At the Rahden Museum Farm, a fully furnished farmstead offers a glimpse into 19th-century life, rural daily routines and traditional craft techniques. Go underground at the Kleinenbremen Visitor Mine and Museum, where experienced mine guides lead you through the underground world and explain miners’ lives, various tools, and loading and transport equipment. Above ground, the mining trail by the museum follows traces of ore mining and open-cast ore and limestone extraction. The site also regularly hosts events such as concerts, theatre performances and readings underground.

The historic Windheim No2 farmstead offers a different cultural experience. Events take place in the old timber-framed house’s threshing floor, in the bakehouse, in the courtyard and in the garden. Minden is home to potts park, a family theme park. The Kaiser Wilhelm Monument on Wittekindsberg stands at an elevation of 268 metres and is one of Germany’s most significant national monuments; it offers panoramic views to the north and south.

Places in the district

For further orientation around the district, you can find the following places here: Porta Westfalica, Preussisch Oldendorf, Stemwede, Rahden, Minden, Hille, Bad Oeynhausen, Petershagen, Espelkamp, Hüllhorst and Lübbecke.

Which holiday apartment is right for your stay depends above all on the experiences you want to prioritise: walks in the moors, cycling routes, mills and art, or museums and events. The places and attractions mentioned here offer different starting points for planning your holiday in the Mühlenkreis.

For the broader travel overview: North Rhine-Westphalia.