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Town in Lower Saxony, Germany
Photo: Corradox, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Papenburg is a city in the Emsland region of Lower Saxony, some 10 km west of the border with the Netherlands. Thanks to the navigable Ems River, the city is considered Germany's southernmost sea port without being on the seashore. Papenburg is perhaps most famous for its shipyard, which is one of the world's largest.
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Local history museum. On the ground floor there's an information center. The second floor is an interactive experience of Papenburg's history, and on the third floor you can learn about the nearby automotive testing facility ATP.
Named after the founder off the city, this is an open air museum with a sculpture garden and the grand building of Papenbörger Hus (nowadays a restaurant). Here you can enjoy East Frisian tea, pancakes with root syrup and Moorwasser (a local herb liqueur).
In central Obenende next to the Hauptkanal, the town hall is a good landmark.
A replica of a wooden ship, serving as a museum and tourist information center. It's moored in the Hauptkanal between the town hall and St. Antonius.
The shipyard that the city is famous for, mainly builds large cruise ships these days. One of the largest shipyards in the world, the Meyer shipyards was founded in 1795 and still a family business operated by the 7th generation. To actually visit the shipyard, make an online booking on the website and pick up the printed tickets at the museum ship Frederike or at the Papenburger Zeitspeicher. There are shuttle buses from there to the shipyard. They also have a visitor center where no reservations are needed.
The grand Altenkamp manor was built in 1728-32 in Baroque style. Today it is a regional expo center for culture and art history. There's a café in the basement. The building has wall and ceiling paintings of French pastoral landscapes, probably ordered by Hermann Anton von Velen. The garden is also impressive, with yews that are more than 200 years old.
Neo-Gothic brick Catholic church at the Hauptkanal. The tower is 88 m high.
Neo-Gothic Lutheran church.
Windmill built in Dutch style near the Hauptkanal. Here you can buy milled products but also souvenirs.
Catholic church in Aschendorf.
Built in 1848, modelled on a lighthouse in Riga. It is next to the St. Michael church.
Turning entirely with the wind, this is the last mill of this type in Emsland.
Indoor and outdoor (open in the summer) swimming pools.
Boat tours around the port.
A replica of a historical sail ship you can travel on. During the summer months it makes a few trips to destinations along the German coast (also in the Baltic), and you can book a cabin on such trips. On other days you can book it for private day or overnight trips.
Cafe, pizzeria, ice cream shop and souvenir shop on the ground floor of Hotel Friedrich Freiherr von Schwarzenberg.
Fish and seafood restaurant, also a couple of vegetarian and meat dishes on the menu.
Hotel and restaurant
Campingplatz Poggenpoel
Hotel with 41 rooms, in business since 1851 and owned by the same family since then. Parking available, disability-friendly, Wi-Fi, restaurant. It is next to one of the main canals of the city.
Shopping mall.
All kinds of beverages, including the local herb liqueur Papenburger Moorwasser which doubles as a souvenir.
Shoes and fashion.
By bus
Only an option if starting from the nearby villages, though there is one line coming in from Leer, local bus 622.
By car
Autobahn A31 follows the Dutch border, turn off at exit 15 "Papenburg" and follow the signage. This is useful if coming from the south (the Ruhr area), or Groningen in the Netherlands.
By bike
Several bike routes cross Papenburg: the Emsland-Route, the Ems-Radweg, the Deutsche Fehnroute (German Peat Route) and the Dollard Route.
By bike
There are good bike roads in the region.
By bus
There are some local bus lines operated by Levelink.
By car
Car is also an option, especially to get to the attractions further out.
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Groningen · International · GRQ
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