City tours
With the gossip girl through the city
Here the woman is in charge! Have you always wanted to listen to gossip among women? Then the Waschweibtour is just the right thing for you. At the Geroweiher and the Bleichwiesen, the Waschweib listens to the latest news and, of course, conscientiously passes it on. At historically and culturally significant places in Mönchengladbach, this city tour introduces you to the stories of important female personalities from today’s Mönchengladbach and the Mönchengladbach of yesteryear – all quite discreetly. Women’s business, that’s what it is!
6.00 p.m. (approx. 1.5 hrs.)
Bus lane of the Geroweiher car park at the
“Treffpunkt-Stadttour” sign (route approx. 1.5 km)
The new look of the old town
After-Work Culture & Culinary
Waldhausener Straße and the Alte Markt with its large gastronomy scene make many people first think of celebrating and enjoying. But especially in recent years, the heart of Mönchengladbach’s old town has changed enormously and shows a new second face with its cultural diversity. Discover the beauties of the #kunstroutealtstadt with our city guide and experience special concepts of the scene hotspots as cultural meeting places, e.g. at Köntges and Kulturküche. Get to know the charm of the Vinylgarage and walk in the tracks of Günter Netzer and Pilates. In between, appetising bites will be served to you at “food and tasting stops” in various restaurants.
6.00 p.m. (approx. 3 hrs.)
Restaurant Alge, Waldhausener Str. 86a
(route approx. 1 km)
Sculpture Mile 2.0
Sculptural art and sculptures can be found in many public places in Mönchengladbach, in park landscapes and sometimes also in hidden courtyards. Most of the artworks on the Sculpture Mile have their origins in the regional project “Kunstwege”, which was created at the time of EUROGA 2002plus. Expanded to include more recent exhibits, such as the donkey sculptures on Sonnenhaus Platz by Rita McBride or the bronze sculpture by Maria Lehnen on Münstervorplatz, the city tour Skulpturenmeile 2.0 leads from the sculpture garden below Museum Abteiberg and Hans-Jonas-Park through the Old Town to the Bunte Garten and shows over 50 exhibits from 1927 to 2016.
11.00 a.m. / 12.00 p.m. / 2.00 p.m. (approx. 3 hrs.)
Bus lane of the Geroweiher car park at the
“Treffpunkt-Stadttour” sign (route approx. 4 km)
Rheydt – hidden beauties
of history and architecture
Mönchengladbach was united with the independent town of Rheydt and the municipality of Wickrath on 1 January 1975. Even today, Rheydt stands out as a current district with its own face and individual history. This city tour shows you the hidden beauties such as the Fischerturm or the birthplace of Hugo Junkers, special architecture and buildings from classical modernism (Bauhaus), post-war modernism and historicism. You can also learn interesting facts about the history of Rheydt, about the town hall, which was built in 1900 for the serving Royal Prussian District Command, or the main Protestant church with its distinctive steeple, newly built in 1902. The numerous socio-cultural activities of the Rheydt district are also the subject of this city tour.
3.00 p.m. / 7.00 p.m. (approx. 2 hrs.)
In front of the Ratskeller at Rheydt Town Hall
(route approx. 3.5 km)
Mönchengladbach and the traces of Joseph Beuys
Joseph Beuys – an artist whose ideas and works polarise to this day – put Mönchengladbach on the map of the international art scene. Reactions ranging from enthusiasm to outright rejection addressed his art in an impressive way. How did the Mönchengladbach public react to his first major solo exhibition in 1967? For what reason did one of his bronze sculptures end up as a “doghouse” on a motif float at the Veilchendienstagszug instead of in the Hardt district administration? And why should one of the most important action artists of the 20th century be held accountable for removing a wall inscription? Find out the answers to these questions and other details of a relationship that first had to grow on this eventful city walk in the centre of Mönchengladbach.
11.00 a.m. / 12.00 p.m. / 2.00 p.m. / 6.00 p.m. (approx. 1.5 hrs.)
Alter Markt, at the fountain
(route approx. 2.6 km)
Tour of the Middle Ages
In Mönchengladbach and the Lower Rhine area, there are many traces from the Middle Ages as well as stories of philistines, peasants and thieves that still fascinate tourists and visitors today. With a historically dressed city guide, you will go on an interesting journey into times long past. You will learn, for example, how an executioner earned his extra income in his day, which herbs originally grew in the abbey garden and how one proverbially “gets on the dog”. On this city tour, trace an everyday life that was characterised by deep faith and true closeness to nature in its time and discover exciting traces of hidden contemporary testimonies in old churchyards.
3.00 p.m. / 5.00 p.m. (approx. 2 hrs.)
Bus lane of the Geroweiher car park at the
“Treffpunkt-Stadttour” sign (route approx. 2 km)
Around the Minster
St. Vitus Minster, with its over 1,000-year history, is not only a Catholic church, but also the landmark of Mönchengladbach in its significance for the city’s history. Situated on top of the Abteiberg, with a fantastic view over the city, this impressive building rises up and forms the imposing backdrop for an exciting journey through time. Stories of the devil’s legend that surrounds the crypt of the cathedral, sacred art, the Basilica Minor, fascinating stained glass and architectural masterpieces are all part of this city tour. Let yourself be carried away into the world of the dark Middle Ages and fathom the mysteries surrounding the cathedral.
10.30 a.m. (approx. 1.5 hrs.)
Bus lane of the Geroweiher car park at the
“Treffpunkt-Stadttour” sign (route approx. 2 km)
The stories of Wickrath Castle
Like something out of a fairy tale, the baroque Wickrath Castle with its beautiful castle park laid out in pentagonal, crown-shaped architecture is located on the Niers and in the immediate vicinity of the district of the same name. Between 1746 and 1772, Friedrich Wilhelm Otto Freiherr von Quadt had the master builder Matthieu Soiron, who came from Maastricht, build an axially symmetrical Baroque castle based on French models to replace the late medieval moated castle. Embedded in the Niers meadows typical of the Lower Rhine, this is certainly one of the most beautiful places in Mönchengladbach to unwind. Our city tour shows the beauties of the lavishly restored castle complex with insights into the manor house and the Nassau stables, peppered with interesting stories and entertaining anecdotes.
3.00 p.m. (approx. 1.5 hrs.)
Schlosspark Wickrath, bridge at the car park
at the sign “Parkführungen” (route approx. 1.5 km)
Monk’s walk
As the day draws to a close, a history lesson of a very special kind will take you through the old town of Mönchengladbach in the evening, which is also dark in the winter months. Follow the mysterious black-robed monk on a journey into the history of the city and let yourself be initiated into the life of Count Balderich and his connection to the Vitus City. During this walk you will learn many entertaining anecdotes to amaze and amuse. To round off the tour and for refreshment, we recommend a stop at a “tavern” on the Old Market Square, where you can relax and enjoy the rest of the evening.
3.00 p.m. / 5.00 p.m. / 6.00 p.m. / 7.00 p.m. (approx. 1.5 hrs.)
Bus lane of the Geroweiher car park at the
“Treffpunkt-Stadttour” sign (route approx. 2 km)
Nightwatchman tour
“Listen people, let me tell you…” – that was the call of the night watchman long ago when he strode through the alleys, singing to announce each hour and keeping watch over the city. With halberd, horn and lantern, the night watchman takes you on a journey to a time long gone. Historic squares and buildings are just as much a part of this guided tour as the diverse “Döhnkes” and “Vertäll” from the historical town history. Find out who the three most important persons of the lower classes were and what tasks night watchmen were entrusted with. Visit places whose original meaning you would not have guessed with the city guide dressed in historical garb and learn the stories of the night watchmen from their eventful lives long ago.
7.00 p.m. (approx. 1.5 hrs.)
Bus lane of the Geroweiher car park at the
“Treffpunkt-Stadttour” sign (route approx. 2 km)
Bunter Garten & Botanical Garden
The Bunter Garten, located in the centre and behind the Kaiser-Friedrich-Halle, is one of the city’s most popular public parks. Over the course of time, the 300-square-metre “Kaiserpark” developed into a park of around 30 hectares, whose diversity of plants is a feast for the eyes all year round. It is divided into Kaiserpark, Bunter Garten and the 5 ha Botanical Garden. The latter includes the Apothecary Garden with over 200 different medicinal plants, which are also used by trainees in the pharmacy and drugstore professions to train their knowledge. During the guided tour, you will be introduced to both native and foreign plants of the extensive plant diversity – with their special features and in some cases their relation to mythology.
6.00 p.m. (approx. 1.5 hrs.)
Bunter Garten, at the aviary under the ginkgo tree
(route approx. 3 km)
