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Town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Photo: Gouwenaar, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
Bocholt is a town of 71,000 people (2019) in Münsterland in Germany, about 4 km from the Dutch border. Bocholt is a regional centre for shopping in the West-Münsterland area. The town features an attractive old town shopping area and a popular modern shopping mall.
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St. Georg
14th century gothic church, including a life-sized Jesus crucifix
Church of Our Lady
Also in the city centre, arose from a former monastery church of the Minorites in late Baroque style 1785-92. It was expanded to its current size in 1912-13.
The old town hall was built from 1618-24 in the style of the Dutch Renaissance. There is an ice cream parlour on the ground floor with outdoor catering under the town hall arcades. A market takes place several days a week in the square.
Diepenbrock Castle
A baroque moated castle.
Bocholt Textile Factory Museum
The museum shows the history of textile production in Münsterland. All descriptions are in German and Dutch only, but the stuff can give a guided tour in English. Almost all of the historical, steam-powered machines are operational, so you can see the process of weaving on different generations of weaving machines in a large weaving hall. In another restored factory, just a block away (not open during winter), is a spinning mill.
Bocholt City Museum
The museum provides an overview of the city's history, archeology, art and culture.
Art house
The art house is dedicated to the fine arts and holds around 10 changing exhibitions every year.
Craft Museum
Exhibits of handicrafts.
Anholt Castle
The water castle is one of the biggest and most beautiful noble's residences in Münsterland. The museum is worth seeing, the castle is surrounded by a park.
Large park of modelled to imitate a Swiss landscape around Lake Lucerne; there is a lake, rocks and a recreated Swiss chalet. The site was created for the 19th-century Prince of Salm-Salm who was an ardent admirer of Switzerland.
A restaurant. In the summer, you can sit on the terrace along the river Aa-strang.
Cheap but good Thai and Chinese restaurant. Also for take-away or doggy-bag.
Good wok and buffet-restaurant, all you can eat for a fixed price.
Small dishes and snacks.
A decently sized shopping centre with common chains like book, clothes, drug and electronic stores, restaurants, public toilets and baggage lockers.
By train
Bocholt station is the terminus of regional train Rhein-IJssel-Express (Düsseldorf - Wesel - Arnhem / Bocholt), which runs every hour.
By bus
The central transfer point for city and regional buses is the Bustreff station on Europaplatz. The distance between there and the train station is about 1 km.
By car
From the Ruhr area via the motorway A3 (Holland line), from AS5 Hamminkeln via the B473.
By bike
Cyclists on the 100-Schlösser-Route route come through Bocholt.
By car
The parking possibilities are limited, there are some parking garages in the city centre, in some cases shops replace part of the parking costs.
By bike
Bocholt is a designated bicycle city, and almost every citizen has one or more bikes, the bicycle network is vast and convenient.
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