I don’t know what the coolest part of Dörverden is.
Oh, this is no easy question and the answer isn’t so “cut and dry.” Yes, this is Lower Saxony and touring it by bike is a good idea — but, that doesn’t answer the question of what is the coolest part. Maybe we can agree on that together, yes?
One thing is for sure, Dörverden loves to grow asparagus. Despite being known as the “king’s vegetable,” these little green & white stalks often don’t get the respect they deserve — that is, unless you’re here.
Dörverden also has two charming historic windmills: The Windmühle Westen or Windmill West (the original one was put here in 1148, burned down & rebuilt in 1856/1857, and refurbished in 1994). And the Windmühle Dörverden at An der Mühle 11.
Don’t confuse them with the Windpark Stedebergen, though… the modern “windmills” that produce renewable energy. I just love “green” towns, don’t you? :-)
Afterwards, a stroll along the Melkerinnen-Denkmal (Milkmaid Sculptures) is a nice quiet treat — commemorating local milkmaids who used to cross the Weser river every day in order to feed their cows on the other side. You can find the “monument” at Grosse Strasse/Königstrasse.
Then, might I suggest a visit to the Rittergut Donnerhorst as well as the Kulturgut Ehmken Hoff — the former being a manor house with a nice park (great vistas!); the latter being the central place for cultural activities (concerts, seminars, exhibitions, etc.)?
Still haven’t found the coolest part of Dörverden yet? Yeah, these places are pretty awesome, but I don’t think we’ve hit the best part of town yet.
Could it be church of St. Cosmae et Damiani, originally a gorgeous medieval Romanesque church? The church really is something special and historians might argue that this is the highlight of Dörverden.
Did I mention the Bronze Age grave hills? No? 3,500 years old, they are in what’s called the Grabhügel, which are 1 – 2 meters high grave hills in the so-called Diensthoper Holz area in the Diensthop district (south of Dörverden proper). It’s a bit tricky to find, so they’ve created a replica of these grave hills in Diensthop, where you can take a peek at how these might have looked like once.
Next, how about the Iron Museum? No? Oh, wait! I don’t mean Iron as in the Iron Age — I mean iron as in a device to rid shirts & slacks of wrinkles. The museum, called Bügeleisen-Sammlung, is filled with all sorts of irons throughout the years (the oldest being from 1735), long before there were automatic shut-off models. You can find it at Auf dem Loh 21a.
I STILL don’t think we’ve found the coolest part of Dörverden yet. Shopaholics might think it’s the Toy Market or Christmas Market (end of November) that is the most awesome part. Okay, shopping for little crafts and drinking mulled wine is always great, but not the best part of Dörverden,
My vote for the best (awesome, coolest, fantastic) part of Dörverden is its Wolf Center. Wolf Center, for real? Yes. Located at Kasernenstrasse 2, you’ll fall in love with (and learn plenty about) these magnificent creatures on the 50-minute guided tour through the enclosure.
Don’t you agree? Yeah, I thought so! ;-)
