Jan Neus
Cloudy weather equals a cloudy mood? Not so in NRW! Let us give you a few ideas, some advice, and great stories to counter the winter blues and show you where you can find true moments of happiness in the fog, snow, and cold, or in perfect relaxation from home. Look forward to the cold season once again this year!
Sebastian Hennigs
A goose safari on the Lower Rhine
Discover the wild NRW first-hand
Anyone watching is sure to experience a unique nature spectacle at the Lower Rhine every year as about 258,000 wild geese touch down between Duisburg and the Dutch border in the cold season, populating the meadows and bodies of water in droves. The chatter of the greater white-fronted geese that make their winter quarter in the comparatively moderate Lower Rhine region is audible from afar.
www.rvr.ruhr
Johannes Höhn
Winter hiking through fog and snow
Snowy landscapes ensure a special atmosphere
Winter hikes let you experience the landscape in a very special atmosphere, as it almost seems that Mother Nature herself wants to add to the contemplative mood in the Christmas season. It is mostly quiet, and hikers often find themselves alone on their paths, the only sounds the cracking of bare trees in gusts of wind and the snow crunching underfoot.
Some regions offer special winter hiking trails. Hikers can then choose whether they prefer freshly cleared routes or rather deep snow. Guided tours are available as well, including some evening tours by torchlight to the hidden Wiehl valley villages in the Bergisches Land, and others that cross the winter landscape in the company of alpacas or huskies.
Wintersport-Arena Sauerland, Siegerland-Wittgenstein e. V.
Winter Sports
Holidays in the Snow
Down the slopes on skis or a snowboard at full speed, through beautiful winter landscapes at one’s own pace, or just trying out something new, such as snow kiting: NRW is a proper winter sports state! Not only does it contain the largest winter sports area north of the Alps, it also has many smaller regions that are great for skiing, snowboarding, ice skating and, of course, tobogganing. Hobby athletes and pros will love it equally.
Jochen Tack, Stiftung Zollverein
Rolling around in Zollvereins Zentralwerkstatt
Magical roller disco
Hall 5 of the UNESCO World Heritage Zollverein in Essen is a protected monument that offers great entertainment as the colliery’s former central workshop morphs into a large, sparkling indoor roller skating rink. Do your laps on about 800 square metres on your own or on rented roller skates, of course accompanied by music. Special nights come with offerings such as workshops and a roller disco.
www.zollverein.de
Tourismus NRW e.V.
Cutting Christmas Trees in the Sauerland
Out into Nature
Festively decorated, brightly lit, and in a radiant green garment: Christmas trees are a staple in virtually every living room during the holidays. The joyous expectation of the festive time can even be increased by simply cutting one’s own tree! The Sauerland makes this possible. Following registration, anyone can cut their very own tree here. Many hotels offer the matching relaxation programme around it to make it worth spending the entire weekend.
www.weihnachtsbaumhof.de | www.weihnachtsbaumerlebnis.de
Harald Bardenhagen
A brief visit to the stars
In the Eifel National Park
It’s lucky that the days are so very short in winter. It means that the twinkling stars in the sky will be out a bit sooner. Shining particularly beautifully over the Eifel National Park experience region, dark enough to make it possible to spot the Milky Way with the unaided eye, they have even earned it the “International Star Park Eifel National Park” quality seal. A number of offerings for visitors direct the eye into the universe on clear winter nights, while raising awareness for the way the special features of Eifel nature can be perceived with the other senses as well.
www.nationalpark-eifel.de/sternenpark
Johannes Höhn
A speck of light on dark winter days
Art that glows
Like an oversized red candle, the “Das Geleucht” installation on the summit of the Rheinpreußen slagheap in Moers adds a speck of colour to the dark. Together with the slagheap underneath, this accessible industrial heritage sculpture stands about 120 metres tall, affording an around-the-clock pano-ramic view across the landscape all the way to Duisburg, Bottrop, and Kamp-Lintfort, as well as of the Rhine river and the steelworks still in operation; www.visit-nrw.com/up-and-down-in-theruhr-area. The work was created by Otto Piene. It is reminiscent of the miner’s lamp, an essential tool in mining.
www.ruhr-tourismus.de
Anja Luckas
Stories from Aachen
Get into a Christmas spirit with Marcel Schmitz
Get into a Christmas spirit with the story of Marcel Schmitz. The original “Oecher Jong”’s two great passions are ice cream and mulled wine. In winter, Marcel can be found at the Aachen Christmas market, where his “Oecher Glühwein-Treff” spreads the fragrance of his wonderful wine. Learn more about the traditional trendsetter here.
Johannes Höhn
A picnic with regional specialities
In the Münsterland
A picnic in winter? Indeed! The Münsterland not only invites its visitors to take some beautiful breaks in its park landscape in summer but will pack picnic baskets for them even in winter. The “Verschenke ein Picknick” (give away a picnic) campaign brings together about 30 municipalities in the composition of local and regional treats. The filled picnic boxes make for great gifts under the Christmas tree or can be eaten right away during the next winter picnic outing. Benches with great vistas are available around the region’s many castles, among other places.
www.muensterland.com/verschenke-ein-picknick
aachen tourist service e.v.
The Original
Aachener Printen
Light or dark, with almonds, honey, or spices – a great variety of the tasty gingerbread treats, eaten year-round in Aachen and enjoyed around the world during Advent, is available for your enjoyment. All of them are delicious. Only those produced in Aachen and some of the neighbouring villages since 1820 are considered original Aachen Printen.
The original Printe, by the way, rather looked like Dutch almond biscuits, until Napoleon’s continental blockade, leading to a shortage of cane sugar and American wildflower honey, forced the Printen bakers to improvise with new ingredients and gave birth to the cut Printe we know today.
www.aachen-tourismus.en
