Winter "wow" moments

An unrivalled natural spectacle takes place every year in the Lower Rhine region: during the cold season, around 250,000 wild geese arrive between Duisburg and the Dutch border and flock to the meadows and watering holes along the Rhine. Even from a distance, you can hear the cackling of the Arctic white-fronted geese, which use the Lower Rhine as a comparatively warm wintering ground. They feel particularly at home in the Bislicher Insel nature reserve, for example, one of the last near-natural floodplain landscapes in Germany. The visitor centre there provides informative displays through a permanent exhibition and guided tours. In addition, the NABU Lower Rhine Nature Conservation Station in Kleve offers bus tours to see the geese from mid-November to mid-February.

The peaks of the Ruhr Area offer some dazzling highlights, as some of the slag heaps glow particularly beautifully in the dark. Take the Rheinpreußen slag heap in Moers, for example: like an oversized red candle, ‘Das Geleucht’ at the top of the slag heap adds a splash of colour to the darkness. This walk-in industrial heritage sculpture, together with the slag heap beneath it, stands around 120 metres high and offers panoramic views day and night across the landscape towards Duisburg, Bottrop and Kamp-Lintfort, as well as the Rhine and steelworks that are still in operation.

Visitors to Neanderland are taken back to the Ice Age, to the very place where the world’s first Neanderthal was excavated. Right next to the Neanderthal Museum, which tells everything worth knowing about the origins of humankind, lies the Neandertal Ice Age Game Reserve. Here, re-introduced breeds of prehistoric animals such as aurochs, bison and Tarpan wild horses roam freely. A short footpath leads the way round the reserve, bringing you right up close to the animals.

It’s just as well that the days are so short in winter: that way, we don’t have to wait long to see the sparkling starry sky. It shines particularly beautifully over the Eifel National Park adventure region, where it is so dark that the Milky Way can be seen with the naked eye. This has even earned the area the ‘Eifel National Park International Dark Sky Park’ seal of approval. A range of activities on clear winter evenings draw your gaze towards the universe, whilst also sharpening your other senses to the unique features of the Eifel’s natural world here on Earth. Trained stargazing guides, for example, invite visitors on discovery tours through the night. For those who wish to sleep in afterwards, the certified ‘Stargazing Hosts’ offer exactly the right package with a late-riser’s breakfast and late check-out.

A winter picnic? Yes, that’s right! The Münsterland region isn’t just a great place to enjoy a lovely break in the parks during the summer – it’s also the perfect spot to pack a picnic basket in winter. As part of the ‘Give the Gift of a Picnic’ campaign, around 30 local authorities are putting together hampers of local and regional delicacies. The filled picnic boxes make a lovely gift under the Christmas tree, but can also be enjoyed straight away on your next winter picnic outing. And if the ground is too cold or too wet for a break: picnic areas with tables and benches can be found in many places across the region, for example around the Münsterland’s numerous castles and fortresses.

Ice skating is simply part and parcel of winter. Sports enthusiasts in North Rhine-Westphalia can enjoy a few laps at indoor ice rinks and open-air ice rinks. A very special ice rink is situated amongst former coke ovens, rusty pipes and tall chimneys – at the Zollverein World Heritage Site in Essen. It becomes truly romantic here after dark, when the old colliery site is illuminated in a kaleidoscope of colours.

Anyone wanting to go skiing will find plenty of opportunities in North Rhine-Westphalia too – provided the weather plays along. The Sauerland Winter Sports Arena alone offers the best snow-based fun north of the Alps for skiing, snowboarding and sledge rides. The ski area stretches from the Sauerland right into the Siegerland-Wittgenstein region and is occasionally covered with artificial snow when necessary. Those who prefer to watch can experience real professionals in action at international competitions in world-famous venues such as the Winterberg bobsleigh track or the Mühlenkopfschanze ski jump in Willingen.