Discover Rastede

Explore the palace park and Palais Garden

Rastede Palace Park was created as an English-style landscape park, covering a total area of around 300 ha. You can explore it on foot or by bike. Four well-signposted circular hiking trails and two distance routes of up to 10 km offer various ways to make the parkland part of your day. The distance of up to 10 km refers to the distance routes; it does not indicate walking time or difficulty level.

The park is home to the Ellernteich pond, with its water fountain, and horse-head sculptures designed as works of art. If you would like to take in both the landscape and art during a walk, you can include these sights in your visit to the park. Dogs are welcome in the palace park, but must be kept on a leash. If you are travelling with a dog, this rule is important to bear in mind when planning your visit.

A separate garden, the Palais Garden, covers around 5 ha and lies opposite Rastede Palace. It is laid out in the style of an English landscape garden. Winding paths pass open areas, a small stream, stands of holly and conifers. This gives the Palais Garden a different scale and a different setting for walks from the 300 ha palace park. If you are choosing a holiday apartment based on the kind of vacation you want, you can consider whether you are more drawn to extensive park walks or a stroll through a smaller garden.

The palace and historic sites

Rastede Palace is the first secular classical building in the Oldenburg region. The present building has its origins in a Baroque country palace, built from 1756 onwards. At the behest of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig, it was remodelled in the classical style from 1779 to 1791 by the architect J. G. Becker. Its architectural history thus connects its earlier Baroque origins with its later classical appearance.

The classical Temple of Venus, a rotunda with a domed roof built between 1791 and 1793, also stands in the palace park. Another place with a long history is the crypt beneath St. Ulrich’s Church. It dates from the early 11th century and was built as a lower church for the comital founding couple. At the Catholic St. Mary’s Church, built in 1950 and remodelled in 1990, the furnishings include a statue of the Virgin Mary and a distinctive baptismal font: it is made from a column base from the Rastede Monastery, dating from 1091 to 1529.

The listed Palais ensemble also contributes to the cultural offering. Since 1999, the Art and Culture Association has held cultural events there. The tournament grounds on the edge of the palace park host several major events each year. If you are interested in architectural history, churches or cultural events, you can make these another focus of your stay in Rastede, alongside the park paths.

Swimming and golf as additional options

Rastede outdoor swimming pool is on Mühlenstraße, right next to the palace park. It has a 50 m swimming pool with diving towers up to 5 m high, a non-swimmer pool with a wide-wave slide, and a 50 m splash channel. The indoor swimming pool is set within the Palais Garden. It has a large non-swimmer pool with a fun slide, a counter-current system and shower jets; a 25 m swimming pool with diving towers up to 3 m high; a warm-water pool with a depth of 0.30 to 1.35 m; and a whirlpool in the winter garden. The two pools therefore differ in both location and facilities.

For an active outing, Janßen-Hof offers two different golf activities. The 5 ha swingolf course has nine holes, each 90 to 300 m long, and is suitable for the whole family. At adventure golf, you play on artificial turf across 18 holes with various obstacles, including wooden, water and stone features. The artificial turf means the course can be played at any time. These activities may be one reason to consider Rastede when choosing a holiday apartment if you would like to combine visits to the park with swimming or a round of golf.

More destinations: Edewecht, Wiefelstede, Westerstede, Apen, Bad Zwischenahn.

Back to the regional travel overview: Ammerland.