City Guide
Kevelaer Germany: Plenty to keep you occupied
The sights of Kevelaer start in our ‘front garden’ (so to speak), because this is where you will find the graduation house of the St Jakob brine garden. For devotees of the Virgin Mary, Kevelaer is one of Germany’s best-known places of Catholic pilgrimage. For leisure cyclists and hikers, it’s a great destination in its own right. Whether you count yourself among the first or the second group, whether you’re here for work purposes or whether you simply want to explore a new area, we have drawn up a list of the most relaxing activities for you in and around Kevelaer.
Kävelse Lüj: From home brew kit to brewhouse
Local connoisseurs of craft beer gather at the cosy, rustic and centrally located Kävelse Lüj Brauhaus with its outdoor seating. The story of the restaurant is also that of craft beer fanatic Thomas Molderings, his family and friends.
It all started with an off-the-shelf home brew kit and numerous attempts to produce a high-quality, consistently tasty beer. Thomas Molderings now brews various strong and full-strength beer varieties. Seasonally dependent homemade liqueurs are also served. The love of beer carries over to the small but refined selection of dishes, for example a vegetarian beer soup, camembert in beer batter, beer pasta, Brauhaus Schnitzel and even a ‘beeramisu’ dessert.
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Irrland Kevelaer: the farmyard adventure oasis for families
The indoor and outdoor attractions at the all-weather park on the Lower Rhine span around 300,000 square metres. Visitors of all ages can run wild here or simply relax.
Irrland is like a palm-fringed green oasis where you get that South Sea holiday feel straight away. Activities range from climbing and pedal go-karting to animal encounters. It’s wet and wild on the water slides, on floats, and in the water and light play arena. The Roman architecture and installations on the theme of flying are astonishing. On rainy days, the enjoyment simply moves indoors: play and activity barns, a climbing zone, and the largest winter garden in the region offer some variety.
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Kevelaer Skatepark: let’s roll …
The Kevelaer Skatepark isn’t just located on the old sports fields of the school complex; it was also created in collaboration with young people, who participated in the design during several workshops.
Construction took just under three months – now, obstacles, ramps and other hazards are waiting to be negotiated. The park welcomes skateboarders, but also waveboarders, inline skaters and BMX fans. It is also suitable for scooters, balance bikes and roller skates. The complex itself is built in the shape of a K for Kevelaer and also features integrated sound insulation; unsightly concrete walls were not used. The fact that this is a real work of art is demonstrated by the surfaces, which have been hand-polished and custom-made.
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Kevelaer outdoor pool: a petition ensures recreational fun
Are you in need of a quick dip to cool off? Or maybe you have the whole day ahead of you to spend relaxing by the pool with an occasional break for a snack? Either way, the 50-metre outdoor pool in Kevelaer is calling your name!
The pool complex with sunbathing areas is just a short drive away from the elaya hotel kevelaer. These leisure facilities have been a long time coming, though. There were numerous plans for the space over the years. It wasn’t until May 1997 that the old open-air swimming pool, originally built on the Dondert in 1928, was renovated, extended and modernised. In the end, it took lots of signatures on a petition by supporters of the pool and the creation of the Kevelaer Pool Association to save it. Today, the complex boasts slides, diving platforms and a kiosk where you can buy all your outdoor pool essentials.
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Solegarten St. Jakob – a gentle sea breeze on the Lower Rhine
Solegarten St. Jakob in the pilgrimage site of Kevelaer is a place of meditation. The loungers and benches around the graduation tower are especially conducive to this.
When you close your eyes, you’ll get the feeling that you’re by the sea. Why? The ‘Kevelaer thermal brine’ provided by the Jakobsquelle spring and irrigation over blackthorn creates salty air similar to a sea breeze. Even more so inside the facility than outside. Just as beneficial for the body, mind and soul is the Kevelaer Atemweg (airway) with twelve different stations that promote spirituality, athletic activity and spiritual well-being. The Solegarten also features a Bible garden, barefoot path for training the foot reflex zones, the Kneipp pool and the vital trails around the Solegarten.
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Herr Lehmann: The bigger the better
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The cuisine at Restaurant Herr Lehmann combines the best of regional ingredients with creative compositions. Guests will encounter a welcoming, friendly atmosphere indoors as well as outdoors on the terrace, one that will encourage them to linger and return.
The menu is rich in variety, ensuring that every guest can find something to their individual taste. Meat dishes, vegetarian options and the Party Hour snack board with nachos are among the Lehmann favourites, as is the delicious burger selection. The ‘Big Lehmannski’ containing 400 grams of pasture-reared beef certainly lives up to its description, as do the imaginatively named ‘Beflügelter’ (Winged One) chicken breast, ‘Frohnatur’ (Cheerful Soul) beetroot and green spelt patty and ‘Tiefenentspannter’ (Deeply Relaxed) salmon. Children’s portions also available. For adults, there are numerous premium gins to enjoy.
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Antica Osteria: Italy on a plate
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The Antica Osteria in Kevelaer is a ristorante, a café and a pizzeria. Cooking is done here with a Mediterranean passion for ‘la dolce vita’.
This finds its expression in the red-and-white chequered tablecloths that adorn the tables in the welcoming interior as well as in the spacious outdoor area with comfortable seating for more than 100 diners. The atmosphere is vibrant, the ambience inviting and the cuisine authentic, with Italian classics such as buffalo mozzarella and vitello tonnato as starters, pasta, fish and meat dishes as main courses and tiramisu for dessert. The main attraction, however, has to be the pizzas from the wood-fired oven. Whether you go for vegetarian, spinach and prawns, homemade salsiccia or pesto, the Antica Osteria brings you Italy on a plate, accompanied by a glass of fine wine. Salute!
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Old Butchery: The name says it all
The former butcher’s shop on Biegstrasse in Kevelaer still serves meat, but not exclusively and no longer as the star turn of the family meal.
Since business partners Marc Moors and Ferhat Ökce abandoned their initial plans to use the premises as office space in in favour of opening a restaurant, the menu now features burgers, spare ribs, shashlik and fillet steak, all beautifully presented in a contemporary-styled interior. The menu is not only a revelation for meat fans but also able to satisfy the strict requirements of vegetarians. Salads, potatoes, meatless side dishes and burgers with a green spelt patty transform the Old Butchery into a modern restaurant. Live BBQ events take place in the beer garden on selected dates.
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Konzert- und Bühnenhaus: music to the ears!
Your eye will be immediately drawn to the modern architecture of the Konzert- und Bühnenhaus when visiting Kevelaer.
And there is also something for the ears here too – this cultural institution not only hosts trade fairs, but also regular concerts and theatrical performances. In the three halls, artists from a variety of genres wow the audience with shows, puppet shows for adults, culture for kids, concerts, musicals, cabaret, comedy and exhibitions. The venue’s excellent acoustics are also recognised far beyond Kevelaer’s limits – whether for large or small productions or sophisticated shows. Practical: the venue is less than a 15-minute walk from the elaya hotel kevelaer.
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Gnadenkapelle: large paintings
In Kevelaer, Mary has been revered since 1642 as the ‘comforter of the afflicted’. Believers of all ages visit her image, which was placed in a shrine by the then priest of Kevelaer. The shrine was put together by the merchant Hendrick Busemann and his wife.
In 1654, the Gnadenkapelle mercy chapel was erected around the shrine. Passers-by can take a look at the shrine image from the outside thanks to the window opening. The mercy chapel in Scherpenhuevel served as a model for the hexagonal chapel construction. The artistic design of the chapel only began in 1888, however, and the site was completed in 1892. The chapel’s interior suggests that the artists and craftsmen had a vision: giving their all for something big and to draw attention to Mary’s inner beauty.
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Priesterhaus: from a picture to a place of pilgrimage
The Priesterhaus in the historical centre of Kevelaer is now the oldest stone building in the town. It is also the centre for pilgrimage management and the rectory for the parish of St Mary.
It was built shortly after the establishment of the place of pilgrimage in the middle of the seventeenth century by the order of Oratorian monks, who used it as a residential and guest house at the time. Despite its ongoing modernisation, it retains its venerable feel. A special feature: the extensive open hallways. The place of pilgrimage itself has existed in Kevelaer since 1 June 1642, when the then priest of Kevelaer placed an image of the Blessed Mother Mary of Luxembourg in a shrine. Since then, Mary has been revered here as the ‘comforter of the afflicted’. The Gnadenkapelle mercy chapel was then added around the shrine.
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