Only 25 kilometers to the south of Hamburg is the Low German speaking town of Jesteburg.
As with many German towns, the love of art and culture is quite evident amongst the thatched roofed cottages in the north of Germany.
One such place (the art, not the cottage) is the Kunstätte Bossard, built by Johann Michael and Jutta Bossard. They spent their lives decorating three hectares (that’s 30,000 square meters) with architecture, art, and sculpture.
The Kunsthaus is also where you’ll find more art for the weary soul.
Sorry, didn’t mean to get all philosophical on you. ;-)
The Art Museum isn’t the only museum in town. I was pleasantly surprised to find this small town of around 7,500 people had a number of museums. Speaking of…
The Doll Museum is charming in itself, and there is a Film Museum in town too.
The Local History Museum does a fine job detailing some of the region’s history.
But, to see history up close and personal, might I suggest stopping at the Hünengrab, a graveyard from around 2,500 B.C.
Go from the historical to the romantic, which is exactly what Jesteburg’s historical water mill from 1865 is. It’s called Wassermühle Lüllau, a Cultural Heritage, and part of the Lower Saxon Mills Route for good reasons: The accompanying Brookhoff farm offers a beer garden; a number of festivals, concerts, events, and flea markets throughout the year; it even attracts radio and TV stations. And in their farm shop you get a chance to buy fresh local produce.
All right, we’re done with all the artsy and historical stuff, it’s time to become one with nature.
Jesteburg lies right along the Lüneburg Heath, perfect for a day of hiking or biking. How about camping out for a night in the Heath?
No? OK, just follow the Märchenwanderweg (Fairytale Trail) for a while and come right back to town to sleep.
Sound better?
Good, ’cause you don’t want to miss out on the Village Festival every year at the end of August. As big as the Village Fest is, it’s nothing compared to Jesteburg’s Art Week in early September. For an entire week, thousands of artists flock to town to show off their talents.
An artsy good time, I would say. Which I think you’ll have even if you don’t make it for Art Week. The Brookhoff is just awesome and… yummy!
