Wybelsum: Old Church, Polder and Cycling Circuit

Wybelsum combines a long settlement history with distinctive landscapes along the polder and varied discoveries by bicycle. Those looking for a combination of culture, local history and activity for their holiday will find a range of starting points for planning their days here. Of particular interest is the transition between historical traces and the surroundings shaped by dikes, polder areas and technical structures.

The Old Church and the History of the Mound Settlement

The Old Church in Wybelsum was built in 1700. Inside, there are a pulpit, a communion table and pews from the former church in Geerdswehr. The village of Geerdswehr was surrendered to the floods of the Ems in 1699; the furnishings therefore represent an explicitly historical connection between the two places. For visitors interested in regional church history and traditional local stories, the Old Church offers a particularly tangible connection to the past.

The village itself also has a long history of development: Wybelsum has existed as an old mound settlement since around 1000 AD. The settlement was originally established on the slightly elevated northern riverbank. This origin can be understood as an important background for exploring the landscape, in which water, dike lines and higher-lying settlement areas are closely connected with the history of the village.

A particular feature of the Old Church is the Vocalion from 1894. It is a large reed organ with pneumatic action that may be the only instrument of its kind in Europe. The instrument adds an unusual musical detail to the historic church interior and can be a reason in its own right for culture-minded travellers to include Wybelsum in their holiday plans.

Polder Areas, Wetland Biotopes and Sea Dike

The southern polder areas of the Wybelsum Polder contain numerous wetland biotopes and diked flushing fields running parallel to the dike line. These areas were created as compensatory areas for projects by the Lower Saxony Port Authority/N-Ports. This means that the landscape is not merely open space, but also an area with different functions and visible traces of the regional water and port landscape.

The Wybelsum cross-mark beacon is a historic feature of the landscape. The 18.9-metre-high concrete tower has a red-and-white band and was built in 1969/70.

The sea dike at the Wybelsum Polder is one of the special destinations for recreation and leisure in the city of Emden. Together with the polder areas, it creates a landscape theme that clearly differs from the historical impressions of the Old Church. Families and other travel groups can thus choose between cultural discoveries and time spent in the dike and polder landscape, without reducing the character of Wybelsum to just one attraction.

Discover Wybelsum by Bicycle

For active days during your holiday, the Larrelt Cycling Circuit provides a clear route to follow. It runs via Logumer Vorwerk to Wybelsum towards Bartshausen on the Knockster Tief and onwards to the “Pünte”. The circuit also runs along the wind farm in the Wybelsum/Larrelt Polder. These sections therefore combine place names, waterscapes, polder landscapes and wind energy into a varied cycling route idea.

Those choosing a holiday apartment or other accommodation for a stay in Wybelsum can therefore first determine their preferred focus: Should the Old Church and its history be the centrepiece, the landscape around the sea dike, or a day on the Larrelt Cycling Circuit?

Further Orientation Around Wybelsum

For further orientation at this level of the site, you can also discover Twixlum, Jarßum, Siedlung Hilmarsum and Petkum.

To the higher-level travel overview: Emden.