An adventure journey into past worlds

Did you know that the blue glowing flax was a characteristic of the Lower Rhine until a few years ago? You can find out what this is all about at the Wegberg Flax Museum. There, the history of flax cultivation is told – and how it is turned into fibers, linen and ultimately high-quality textiles. These can be admired in noble form right next door: in the Museum for European Folk Costumes. The Lower Rhine was once a stronghold of the textile industry, and this is also shown in the textile museum ” DIE SCHEUNE” in Nettetal, where you can experience working spinning machines and hand looms in action. Mönchengladbach even has a textile route, and yarn history comes alive in the Textile Technology Center. And Krefeld is even home to the German Textile Museum – but that’s really no hidden treasure.

A museum in a water tower: That’s what you can experience in Mönchengladbach-Rheindahlen. The Archaeological Museum presents exhibits from the Stone Age from a nearby site. Archaeological finds are also on display at the Burg Linn Museum in Krefeld, with reminiscences of the Roman and Frankish periods.

Pitchers, vases, art objects: In the Middle Ages, pewter was of great importance. A large collection of these products is on display at the Kreismuseum Zons in Dormagen. The Opel Museum in Hückelhoven, on the other hand, offers very old vehicle treasures. Items such as the Opel Blitz or the Olympia delivery van make the hearts of classic car enthusiasts beat faster.

Fire hooks, fire buckets and turntable ladders can be admired at the Rhineland Fire Brigade Museum in Erkelenz-Lövenich. It takes visitors through the epochs of historical firefighting with oldtimers and fire engines, and the children’s play area is called “Feuerrotes Tü-Ta-Ta”.

Tradition above all: Historical films, photos and archives such as medals, cups or chains are offered by the Rheinisches Schützenmuseum Neuss. Here, marchers and greencoats can browse to their heart’s content. When seasoned personalities ride around a mill on wooden hobbyhorses, you can only be in one place – at the Narrenmühle in Viersen-Dülken. The “Mounted Academy of Arts and Sciences” maintains a Fools’ Museum in the mill with curiosities from its history, and the senators meet in the “Wisdom Hall.”

The historic Lower Rhine Prison Museum in Willich-Anrath also has curiosities to offer. In the former warden’s house, everyday prison life is documented and exhibits can be seen such as homemade radios or imitation keys. The Viller Mühle site is also a curious place. Here in Goch, Heinz Bömler, the mad puppeteer, as he calls himself, collects everything that is not nailed down: old stores, old toys, old advertising. A journey into a world that you thought no longer existed.

This also applies to a visit to the Siegfried Museum in Xanten. There, everything revolves around the Song of the Nibelungs. Participatory programs allow visitors to visit Siegfried on his farm and retrace the adventures of the dragon slayer. You can also travel back in time at the Hubben Clock Museum in Neukirchen-Vluyn. It shows clocks, nothing but clocks: Over 200 pieces from grandfather clocks to pocket watches, housed in a watchmaker’s workshop. And even a church tower clock is on display.

Protection against heat, cold and dangerous surfaces and today a much admired fashion accessory: shoes are an important companion of man. Everything about footwear and its manufacture can be learned at the Kleve Shoe Museum. From the craft of the shoemaker to the shoe factory.

Visitors can also find shoemaking tools in the His-Törchen art and local history museum in Issum. It should be mentioned here as representative of the numerous local history museums on the Lower Rhine, which deal with the local identity of the people and their roots and above all show how life used to be between the Rhine and the Meuse. In addition, the His-Törchen always presents varied special exhibitions in the local history museum.