Discover Münster & Osnabrück — city day trips, cycling & water castles from Brochterbeck

Between two cities of peace — your quiet base in Brochterbeck

Brochterbeck sits perfectly between two cities that made world history: Münster and Osnabrück, where the Peace of Westphalia was concluded in 1648. From our holiday apartment in Brochterbeck you can reach both cities comfortably in about half an hour by car — and Münster/Osnabrück Airport (FMO) is only around 12.1 km away.

Best of all: after an eventful day in the city you return to the calm of the Teutoburg Forest. Instead of city noise, birdsong, a garden and a balcony to breathe are waiting for you. It lets you combine culture, history and nature in a single holiday base.

A day in Münster — bicycle capital and place of peace

Start on the Prinzipalmarkt with its gabled houses and the historic town hall. Part of the Peace of Westphalia was negotiated in the famous Hall of Peace (Friedenssaal) — a room that makes history tangible. A few steps further, St Paul's Cathedral rises with its astronomical clock.

Afterwards, enjoy a stroll or a bike ride along the green Promenade that rings the old town, relax by the Aasee lake, or visit the Picasso Museum. Münster is considered one of Germany's most bicycle-friendly cities — hire a bike and experience it like the locals do.

Around the Aasee lake there is plenty for families: the Allwetterzoo Münster and, right next door, the LWL Museum of Natural History with its planetarium.

A day in Osnabrück — the town hall of the Peace of Westphalia

Osnabrück carries the epithet city of peace: the town hall of the Peace of Westphalia displays the portraits of the envoys who proclaimed the peace in 1648. Around the market square, gabled houses, St Peter's Cathedral and cosy cafés invite you to linger.

Art lovers visit the Felix Nussbaum Haus (architecture by Daniel Libeskind); families head to the popular Osnabrück Zoo. If you are looking for nature, you'll find it right on the city's doorstep in the UNESCO Geopark TERRA.vita — perfect for ending the day with a walk before returning to your quiet home in Brochterbeck.

Preliminary talks on the doorstep: Negotiating began in the region even before the 1648 treaties – in 1643, preliminary talks for the Peace of Westphalia were held at the moated castle Haus Marck near Tecklenburg, just a few kilometres from Brochterbeck.

A cycling paradise where the hills meet the Münsterland

Brochterbeck lies exactly where the hills of the Teutoburg Forest give way to the flat Münsterland — a dream for cyclists. Easy riding through fields, tree-lined lanes and woodland begins right on the doorstep, with gentle climbs by the cliffs and long, relaxed stretches on the plain.

Follow sections of the famous 100 Castles Route (100-Schlösser-Route), which links the moated castles and manor houses of the Münsterland over more than 900 kilometres, or ride along the quiet towpath of the Dortmund-Ems Canal. After the tour, your holiday apartment with garden is waiting — perfect for resting tired legs over a cool drink.

Water-castle itinerary: Haus Marck & Surenburg Castle

The Tecklenburg region is famous for its water castles (Wasserschlösser) — romantic manor houses surrounded by moats. Two of the finest lie almost on the doorstep and combine beautifully into a tour by bike or car:

Haus Marck (about 5.0 km) is a picturesque moated castle near Tecklenburg with a history reaching back to the Middle Ages — a perfect first stop. From there, continue to Surenburg Castle (about 8.7 km) near Riesenbeck, whose brick-red buildings are mirrored in the surrounding water. Both castles are privately owned and usually admired from the outside only, but the views, the tree-lined avenues and the park-like setting make the trip a highlight for lovers of history and architecture.

Haus Marck also has a place in peace history: in 1643 preliminary negotiations for the Peace of Westphalia — which ended the Thirty Years' War in 1648 — were held here.