Grafschafter Spurensuche- Auf den Spuren alter Wasserwege

As early as the Middle Ages, an army and long-distance trade route from Bremen to Amsterdam ran through the settlement area of early Nordhorn. As early as 1160, Bentheim sandstone was shipped from Nordhorn to the Netherlands. The returning ships brought back spices, textiles, cocoa, tobacco, tea and other trade goods. In its heyday, up to 1,200 cargo cranes and ships were anchored in Nordhorn. At that time, Nordhorn was the seat of wealthy merchants, shipowners and skippers.
In the Middle Ages, the almost 170 km long Vechte still had direct access to the sea and was the center of Dutch maritime trade for many centuries. The Nordhorn-Almelo Canal, completed in 1904, finally provided a connection to the Dutch waterway network.
Following the course of the Vecht further north, hikers will come across Frenswegen Abbey, which today serves as an ecumenical meeting place.
Further west, you will come across the old border path that separated the Netherlands and Germany on small forest paths. From here, the route leads through woodland and heathland to the Dutch nature reserve De Bergvennen. It is home to a variety of rare animal and plant species, such as the newt, sand lizard, adder and woodlark.


Note: Follow the signs in orange!