Papenburg is a city in the Emsland region of Lower Saxony, some 10 km west of the border with the Netherlands. Thanks to the navigable Ems River, the city is considered Germany's southernmost sea port without being on the seashore. Papenburg is perhaps most famous for its shipyard, which is one of the world's largest.
Understand
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Papenburg, in the middle of the peat landscape of the Dutch-German borderland is a city of canals and the southernmost seaport of Germany. Starting as a "peat colony" in medieval times (comparable to the Dutch Veenkoloniën across the border), its history is closely related to the Ems river, peat extraction, seafaring and industrialization.
The city is really composed of several towns: 1 Untenende in the north, 2 Obenende in the east and 3 Aschendorf in the southwest. Moreover the districts of 4 Bokel, 5 Herbrum, 6 Nenndorf and 7 Tunxdorf 
form part of the city. This has historical reasons; e.g. Aschendorf was a separate city until 1973, and at that one of the oldest known settlements in Lower Saxony.
Each of the districts has its own character, offering nature, nightlife, historical or living industrial culture, tradition or high-tech.
Tourist information
[edit]- 1 Papenburg Tourismus, Ölmühlenweg 21, ☏ +49 4961 83960.
Get in
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By train
[edit]The central railway station is 1 Papenburg(Ems). (without a space on the bahn.de website), where all trains stop. 2 Aschendorf. station is just served by local trains.
There are Intercity Express trains between Cologne and Emden or Norddeich stopping at Papenburg, providing a connection from the south. Regional train RE15 between Emden and Münster serve both Papenburg and Aschendorf. Coming from Bremen, Hamburg or elsewhere in northern Germany, travel to Leer and change to either of the above services.
It's surprisingly challenging to get in from the Netherlands on public transit. First, get to Groningen. Then, local trains take you as far as Bad Nieuweschans, from where bus 620 goes to Leer. From Leer you can continue by bus or train.
By bus
[edit]Only an option if starting from the nearby villages, though there is one line coming in from Leer, local bus 622.
By car
[edit]Autobahn A31 follows the Dutch border, turn off at exit 15 "Papenburg" and follow the signage. This is useful if coming from the south (the Ruhr area), or Groningen in the Netherlands. From Leer you can take highway B70, going through Papenburg. Coming from the east (e.g. Bremen), you can exit the motorway in Oldenburg, take highway B401 to the village of Surwold, turn right and follow the signage to Papenburg. From Bourtange, cross the border, and follow the B401 and B70.
By bike
[edit]Several bike routes cross Papenburg: the Emsland-Route, the Ems-Radweg, the Deutsche Fehnroute (German Peat Route) and the Dollard Route.
Get around
[edit]By foot
[edit]Central Papenburg is small enough to explore on foot, and the other towns are a few kilometres away.
By bike
[edit]There are good bike roads in the region.
Bike rental
[edit]- 2 Das kleine Radhaus, Friederikenstraße 40, ☏ +49 4961 8340885.
- 3 Radwelt Emsland, Von Herz Str. 9, ☏ +49 4961-992245.
- 4 Fahrzeughaus Bernhard Meyer, Splitting rechts 48, ☏ +49 4961 7347 0.
By bus
[edit]There are some local bus lines operated by Levelink.
By car
[edit]Car is also an option, especially to get to the attractions further out.
See
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- 1 Papenburger Zeitspeicher, Ölmühlenweg 21, ☏ +49 4961 83960. Local history museum. On the ground floor there's a info center. The second floor is an interactive experience of Papenburg's history, and on the third floor you can learn about the nearby automotive testing facility ATP.
- 2 Von-Velen-Anlage, Splitting links 42, ☏ +49 4961 73742. 15 April – 15 October, daily 10:00-17:00. Named after the founder off the city, this is an open air museum with a sculpture garden and the grand building of Papenbörger Hus (nowadays a restaurant). Here you can enjoy East Frisian tea, pancakes with root syrup and Moorwasser (a local herb liqueur).
- 3 Rathaus. In central Obenende next to the Hauptkanal, the town hall is a good landmark.
- 4 Friederike von Papenburg. A replica of a wooden ship, serving as a museum and tourist information center. It's moored in the Hauptkanal between the town hall and St. Antonius.
- 5 Meyer Werft. visitor center M-F 09:00-17:00, from Apr-Oct also Su 09:00-14:00. The shipyard that the city is famous for, mainly builds large cruise ships these days. One of the largest shipyards in the world, the Meyer shipyards was founded in 1795 and still a family business operated by the 7th generation. To actually visit the shipyard, make an online booking on the website and pick up the printed tickets at the museum ship Frederike or at the Papenburger Zeitspeicher. There are shuttle buses from there to the shipyard. They also have a visitor center where no reservations are needed.
- 6 Gut Altenkamp, Am Altenkamp 1, ☏ +49 4962 6505, [email protected]. Tu-Sa 10:00-17:00. The grand Altenkamp manor was built in 1728-32 in Baroque style. Today it is a regional expo center for culture and art history. There's a café in the basement. The building has wall and ceiling paintings of French pastoral landscapes, probably ordered by Hermann Anton von Velen. The garden is also impressive, with yews that are more than 200 years old.
- 7 St. Antonius. Neo-Gothic brick Catholic church at the Hauptkanal. The tower is 88 m high.
- 8 Nikolai-Kirche. Neo-Gothic Lutheran church.
- 9 Meyers Mühle, ☏ +49 4961-835257. W Sa Su 11:00-16:00. Windmill built in Dutch style near the Hauptkanal. Here you can buy milled products but also souvenirs.
- 10 St. Amandus (Aschendorf). Catholic church in Aschendorf.
- 11 Alter Turm, Umländerwiek rechts 1 (Obenende). Built in 1848, modelled on a lighthouse in Riga. It is next to the St. Michael church.
- 12 Bockwindmühle, Wiek. Turning entirely with the wind, this is the last mill of this type in Emsland.
Do
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- 1 Aqua Parks Hallenbad, Russellstraße 49, ☏ +49 4961 8099002. Indoor and outdoor (open in the summer) swimming pools.
- 2 Papenburger Hafenrundfahrt, Grader Weg 34, ☏ +49 171 5204923. Boat tours around the port.
- Gesine von Papenburg. A replica of a historical sail ship you can travel on. During the summer months it makes a few trips to destinations along the German coast (also in the Baltic), and you can book a cabin on such trips. On other days you can book it for private day or overnight trips.
Buy
[edit]There are shops in the districts of Untenende, Obenende and Aschendorf that are suitable both for buying things and window shopping. In all of these you can also find supermarkets. Along 1 Hauptkanal. you can find shops in a "martime environment".
- 2 Dever-Park Einkaufszentrum, Deverweg 39-45, ☏ +49 4961 982233. Shopping mall.
- 3 Papenburger Getränkezentrale, ☏ +49 4961 - 2913. M-F 09:00-18:00, Sa 09:00-15:00. All kinds of beverages, including the local herb liqueur Papenburger Moorwasser which doubles as a souvenir.
- 4 Sportklahsen, In der Emsmarsch 2-4 (Aschendorf), ☏ +49 49 62 91 36 - 0. Shoes and fashion.
Eat
[edit]- 1 Arkadenhaus, Hauptkanal links 68-72, ☏ +49 4961 809620. Cafe, pizzeria, ice cream shop and souvenir shop on the ground floor of Hotel Friedrich Freiherr von Schwarzenberg.
- 2 Restaurant Fischhaus Smutje, Hauptkanal links 14. Fish and seafood restaurant, also a couple of vegetarian and meat dishes on the menu.
Drink
[edit]Sleep
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In addition to the hotels, the tourist office can help with booking different homestays.
- 1 Jugendgästehaus Johannesburg, Kirchstraße 38, ☏ +49 4961 809710.
- 2 Hotel Alte Werft, Ölmühlenweg 1, ☏ +49 4961 9200.
- 3 Altes Gasthaus Kuhr, Hauptkanal Rechts 62 (access through "Alter Schulweg" or "Alter Kirchplatz"), ☏ +49 4961 66430. Hotel and restaurant
- 4 Hotel Walker, Borkumer Str. 36, ☏ +49 4961 2502.
- 5 Kedi Hotel, Deverweg 33-37, ☏ +49 4961 940970.
- 6 Hotel Graf Luckner, Hümmlinger Weg 2, ☏ +49 4961 76057.
- 7 Campingplatz Papenburg (Campingplatz Poggenpoel), Zum Poggenpoel, ☏ +49 4961 974026.
- 8 Camping Tunxdorfer Berge, Tunxdorfer Str. 16, ☏ +49 4962 390.
- 9 Hotel-Restaurant Hilling, Mittelkanal links 94, ☏ +49 4961 977 60, fax: +49 4961 97 76 55, [email protected]. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 11:00. Hotel with 41 rooms, in business since 1851 and owned by the same family since then. Parking available, disability-friendly, Wi-Fi, restaurant. It is next to one of the main canals of the city.
Stay safe
[edit]Stay healthy
[edit]- 5 Marienhospital Papenburg-Aschendorf, Hauptkanal Rechts 75, ☏ +49 4961 930.
Connect
[edit]Many businesses offer free Wi-Fi.
If you travel west of the town (e.g. hiking or biking) it's possible that your mobile devices will connect to Dutch networks.
The German postal service (Deutsche Post) has offices in Untenende, Obenende and in Aschendorf.
Go next
[edit]- Aurich 62 km
- Cloppenburg 65 km
- Emden 50 km
- Leer 32 km
- Saterland 30 km
- The "thick linden", 13 Dicke Linde in Heede, some 16 km south of Papenburg is one of the most impressive trees in Europe. With an age of 600-800 years, its circumference is about 17.5 m.