County Bentheim Route

County of Ben­theim


The County of Bentheim is situated in the west of Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), and lies on the border with the Netherlands. Sweeping heath and moorland dominate the landscape in the north of the county, whereas the south is known for its gently rolling hills. Bentheim Castle stands at 90 metres above sea level. It is one of the largest and most northern hill castles in north-west Germany.
The largest town in the County of Bentheim is Nordhorn. With its 50,000 residents, the town is one of the most bicycle-friendly places in Germany, and, in fact, the most bicycle-friendly spot in Niedersachsen.
Visitors can tour the region on two wheels on the roughly 1,200 kilometres of developed bike trails or with two feet on 320 kilometres of signposted walking routes. Alternatively, visitors can go on a horse ride and relax as they travel from place to place.
Explore the water town of Nordhorn by boat in the summer months or enjoy buckwheat pancakes – one of the region’s delicacies – after a casual stroll through the city centre.
There is also plenty for nature and art lovers to do in the County of Bentheim as the region boasts diverse art and cultural offerings. For instance, visitors can marvel at the open-air art exhibition, which is perfect for touring by bike. Not to mention the many other museums, churches, theatres and mills the county has to offer.

Location of Braunschweiger Land in Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony) and famous sights

Mills in County of Ben­theim


Once, hundreds of windmills and watermills stood in the German-Dutch border region around County of Bentheim. The history of mills in County of Bentheim is closely linked to the Counts of Bentheim: nearly every single mill in the country was once controlled by the nobility. In recent years, a number of these historic buildings have been carefully restored and some are again in full working condition.

Ben­theim Sand­stone


In the sunlight it glows yellow, occasionally with red streaks. Little wonder that this stone was also known as Bentheim Gold, mainly on account of its colour, but also because the people of Bentheim earned a lot of money with their sandstone. Geologists differentiate between the lighter-coloured Gildehaus sandstone and the reddish-brown Bentheim sandstone (the colour variations are caused by the iron content of the stone).

Since the middle ages, master builders have used Bentheim sandstone to build churches and other important structures, including the Royal Palace in Amsterdam, the theatre and the cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp, the catholic church in Århus, the city hall in Münster and – last but not least – Bentheim Castle. The latter is the largest building made of Bentheim sandstone.

One of the oldest sandstone sculptures is the “Herrgott of Bentheim”, a 2.45m high, free-standing statue depicting Jesus on the cross. It was carved in the 11th century from a block of sandstone and today stands in the inner courtyard of Bentheim Castle. In Bad Bentheim visitors can discover a wealth of fascinating facts about Bentheim Gold in the Sandstone Museum.

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Grafschaft Bentheim Tourismus e.v.

NINO-Allee 2
48529 Nordhorn
Phone: +49 (0) 5921 / 961196

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