Discover Venray: Cultural Sites, Nature Trails and Historic Traces

Venray combines impressive cultural sites, nature trails and memorial sites to create a diverse destination. The Museum of Psychiatry presents the history of psychiatry interactively, with a view of the past, present and future. At Odapark, the tea house and exhibition pavilion feature contemporary art, inspiring talks, workshops and atmospheric concerts.

Art and Landscape at Odapark

Odapark combines mature deciduous and coniferous trees, woodland paths, flora and fauna with outdoor works of art.

Churches, Mills and Venray’s History

The Sint Petrusmolen in Venray, formerly also known as Molen van Gitzels, was built in 1855/1856. Volunteers regularly keep the mill in operation. Another striking building is the Sint Petrus Banden Kerk (Grote Kerk): the Gothic church dates from the 15th century and is located in Venray.

In the tower of the Grote Kerk, there is an informative presentation and the film „In hemelsnaam“ about the war damage to the church and its restoration. The Wehrmacht house at Overloonseweg 28 is one of three such houses in Venray and is considered a special memorial to the Second World War. A total of 692 soldiers who died between October 1944 and March 1945 are buried at the Venray War Cemetery.

Klooster Jerusalem also forms part of the town’s historic character. It was founded in 1467 under the influence of the Modern Devotion movement. The Peace Church was built in 1964 as a church for all denominations, with peace at its centre. The former Peace Church became a municipal monument.

Since May 2017, the Venrays Museum has been located on the ground floor of De Borggraaf at Venray’s town park, opposite the historic Sint Petrus' Banden Kerk, the Grote Kerk.

Hiking between Vlakwater and Loobeekdal

The Venray-Merselo hiking route passes through the Vlakwater nature reserve to Sint-Odapark and then through Loobeekdal along the Loobeek. It is 14.7 km long and offers shorter variants of 6 km and 8 km.

The Boschhuizen hiking route is a 3.2 to 4.0 km nature walk starting in Venray near Hotel Asteria. In addition, the approximately 3.5 km-long Culttours take you through Venray. They connect sights relating to psychiatry, religion and education and can be explored with a hiking guide or an app.

Archaeology on Two Wheels

The Archeologische fietsroute Westlus is a 29 km cycling route in Venray and is associated with the location Mgr Goumansplein. It passes two Archeo-Route Limburg sites, where an app conveys the history behind the archaeological finds.

Memorial Sites in the Townscape

Audio Spot 202 of the Liberation Route Europe is entitled „The Watchman over the Peel“. It is located at Monseigneur Goumansplein 3 in Venray and allows visitors to listen to a personal story via the Liberation Route Europe website. The Norfolk Monument in Venray honours the 1st Battalion of the Royal Norfolk Regiment.

Getting to Venray

Venray can be reached via the Maaslijn railway line. Buses 80 and 87 connect Venray railway station with the town centre.

Other Places in the Area

If you would like to extend your travel plans beyond Venray, also discover Smakt, Oostrum, Merselo, Wanssum, Geijsteren, Blitterswijck, Veulen and Ysselsteyn.

For the higher-level travel overview: Venray.