Dülmen is a city in southern Münsterland, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. It is surrounded by the river Lippe to the south, the Baumberge hills to the north and the river Ems to the east. South of Lippe you will find the Ruhr.
Understand
[edit]Dülmen was first referred to in a document written in 889. It became a city in 1311, after which the Lüdinghauser Tor was built. During World War II, a good 90% of the city centre got destroyed; after the war, it was rebuilt from the ground up.
The city is very friendly towards bikers, and offers a large network of cycleways.
Get in
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By plane
[edit]The nearest airport is the Münster/Osnabrück airport (FMO IATA).
By car
[edit]The A 43 passes the city in the northwest. This autobahn connects to the A 1 near Münster and A 2 near Recklinghausen, merging with A1 at Wuppertal.
Federal Highway B67 runs from Dülmen to just short of the german-dutch border near Emmerich, passing Borken and Bocholt. Once the final missing link near Dülmen is completed, it will be almost entirely limited-access eliminating most at-grade intersections with other roads.
Dülmen has a mixed parking system which offers both free parking and parking using Parkscheibe and/or tickets.
By train
[edit]- 1 Dülmen Station (1.4km west of Dülmen town centre). Small regional interchange station with new station building, DB info desk, bike parking garage, kiosk, cafe and bus stop. Accessible via lifts.
Dülmen is located at the interchange of the major Essen - Münster - Hamburg railway and the smaller Enschede - Ahaus - Dortmund line which is a single-tracked line run by diesel trains. The latter crosses the mainline on a bridge at an 90 degree angle. IC and ICE services run through, RE2 Osnabrück - Münster - Gelsenkirchen - Essen - Duisburg - Düsseldorf Airport - Düsseldorf, RE42 Münster - Gelsenkirchen - Essen - Duisburg - Krefeld - Mönchengladbach and RB51 Enschede (NL) - Gronau - Ahaus - Dülmen - Lünen - Dortmund stop here. All run at least hourly with additional service on weekdays.
Get around
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Bus service is provided by RVM (Regionalverkehr Münsterland) and by community-run minibuses. Bus schedules are very sparse on weekends, so definitely make sure to plan ahead or arrange a ride. A taxi stand is just outside Dülmen station. Riding a bike is also a good idea, paths are well maintained and the terrain is relatively flat.
See
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- 1 Saint Victor Church (St.-Viktor-Kirche), Bült 1. The Saint Viktor Chruch is the oldest church of Dülmen, founded in the 780s. The current church dates from the year 1938.
- Old city centre. Not much of the city centre survived World War II, but buildings such as the Lüdinghauser Tor (town gate), Korenkenturm and Nonnenturm (watchtowers) survived.
- 2 Schloss Buldern, Dorfbauerschaft 41, ☏ +49 2590 99-30, [email protected]. The originally medieval castle was replaced by a more comfortable and representative manor in the 1830s; only some parts have survived from the 17th century. The manor now houses an exclusive boarding school and is surrounded by a beautiful landscaped garden, whose core is closed to public (you can visit it from the outside though). The inner part may only be visited by appointment.
- 3 Haus Osthoff, Von-dem-Busche-Str. 30. 18th-century Baroque brick manor covered by vine foliage; beautiful Baroque garden with accurately trimmed boxwood hedges, flowerbeds and a water lily pond.
- Old distillery (Alte Brennerei Löhning), Münsterstraße 49. Former Korn distillery, transformed into residential homes. A restored copper still, various glass containers and old barrel brands in the entrance hall recall the building's heritage.
- 4 Monuments. The grave and memorial of the 2004 beatified nun and mystic Anne Catherine Emmerick can be found in the Heilig-Kreuz-Kirche.
- 5 Jewish cemetery (Jüdischer Friedhof), Kapellenweg (For car park use Kapellenweg 41 as destination. Access through Ev. Friedhof or via Anne-Frank-Weg). Interesting historic site, Baroque revival gate, several tomb steles, elaborate mausoleum of a rich family.
- 6 Wildpark. Daily, all year. 618-acre landscape park, designed in the 19th century and consisting of meadows, woodlots and ponds. Home to heath sheep, deer and various bird species. Old solitary trees, the forester's lodge and a picturesque wooden bridge are worth seeing. Admission free.
- 7 Heilig-Kreuz Kirche (Church of the Holy Cross), Lüdinghauser Str. 59.
Do
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- Semiannual funfairs: Dreifaltigkeitskirmes (trinity kermess) in May and Viktorkirmes (St Victor's kermess) in early October
- 1000-Schlösser-Route (1000 castles route): 960 km (600 mi) bike path throughout the Münsterland, passing a thousand old castles and manors.
Buy
[edit]The town centre has the usual selection of stores needed for daily life and is mostly pedestrianised.
Eat
[edit]- 1 Melodi Grill&Pizzeria, Hohe Str. 52. M-F 11:00-22:00 Su 12:00-22:00.
- 2 Amici Miei, Borkener Str. 3, ☏ +49 02594 9739271. T-Su 17:00-22:00. Italian restaurant
- 3 Med Döner, Nonnengasse 2. Daily 11:00-00:00. Döner Kebab
Drink
[edit]Sleep
[edit]- 1 Zum Wildpferd, Münsterstr. 52, ☏ +49 2594 9710. Hotel Restaurant
- 2 Merfelder Hof, Borkener Straße 60, ☏ +49 2594 9700. Hotel Restaurant
- 3 Große Teichsmühle, Borkenbergestr. 78, ☏ +49 2594 94350. Hotel Restaurant
Connect
[edit]Go next
[edit]- Vischering Castle (Burg Vischering), Lüdinghausen (15 km southeast of Dülmen). The Renaissance water castle looks like a romantic prototype of the ideal medieval castle; it houses the Museum of Münsterland.
- Münster, large university city with young and open population, very bike friendly
- Ruhr, one of europe's largest urban metropolis', former industrial centre turned to education, culture and modern business.
