In 2025, North Rhine-Westphalia has many programme items up its sleeve that offer travel opportunities for a wide variety of tastes. The World University Games Rhine/Ruhr, the world's largest multi-sport event after the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which will take place in Bochum, Duisburg, Essen, Mülheim and Hagen, for example, will be an exciting sporting event. Anniversaries such as the 150th birthday of the Hermann monument, together with blockbuster exhibitions and the opening of a new e-bike cave route, are special occasions to celebrate.
New goalsHighs and lows
Cave route leads into the underworld
You will soon be travelling from cave to cave on an e-bike tour through the largest contiguous karst area in South Westphalia, the Iserlohn limestone sinkhole. The Märkische Höhlenroute, which is due to open in 2025, connects the Dechenhöhle cave in Iserlohn, the Heinrichshöhle cave in Hemer and the Recken and Balver caves. Along the way, cyclists will meet a virtual caveman and a vixen at eight stations, who have interesting facts to tell about the caves in the region in witty dialogues.
https://maerkischer-kreis.org
Burg Castle shines and celebrates
Burg Castle shines in new splendour high above the Bergisch region: After being extensively renovated in recent years, the construction work is due to be completed in 2025. Even though the medieval fortress was open throughout the renovation, the excursion destination will then present breathtaking views and historical ambience undisturbed.
There will also be a big celebration in late summer. After the Burger Biennale recently had to be cancelled, artists and creatives will transform the area between Müngstener Strasse and the castle into an open gallery with workshops and artistic highlights from 19 to 21 September 2025.
www.schlossburg.de | https://burgerbiennale.de/
Let's celebrate!Anniversaries and birthdays
World's largest computer museum turns 100
Right at the start of the "Nixdorf100" anniversary year, the world's largest computer museum is opening a new exhibition area. To mark the 100th birthday of Heinz Nixdorf, who paved the way for electronic data processing in 1952, the Heinz Nixdorf Museumsforum in Paderborn is opening the exhibition "Quantum Computers - Supercomputers of the Next Generation" on 11 January. In addition, the museum, which is dedicated to the 5,000-year history of information technology, is planning extraordinary events and activities throughout the year.
www.hnf.de
1,250 years of Westphalia
It is a region with many unknowns. Westphalia. First mentioned in the year 775, 1,250 years later all the secrets of the region where Bömskes are served at the Bude and people go to the open-air swimming pool are revealed. To mark the anniversary, the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe (LWL) and the LWL-Kulturstiftung have organised a large cultural programme with art, history, literature, music, cabaret and culinary delights throughout the region. The central project is the "775 - Westphalia" exhibition at the LWL Museum in the Kaiserpfalz in Paderborn, which will be opened by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on 15 May 2025.
www.lwl-kulturstiftung.de
Hermannsdenkmal celebrates its 150th birthday
The most famous landmark in the Teutoburg Forest region is celebrating its birthday. For exactly 150 years, Hermann the Cheruscan has been raising his sword to the sky at Grotenburg Castle near Detmold, commemorating the legendary Varus Battle in 9 AD. On 16 August 2025, it will be festive around the tallest statue in Germany: the 150th birthday will be celebrated in style. On Hermann Day, there will be a big celebration with guided hikes and workshops, a historical feast and campfire, silent disco and music acts. The newly opened Hermanneum invites you to visit beforehand and uses digital applications to bring the history of the monument and its role model Arminius to life.
www.hermannsdenkmal.de
German Fairytale Route turns 50
Fairy tales will come true when celebrations are held along the German Fairy Tale Route from May to August 2025. This is because the route, which follows in the footsteps of the Brothers Grimm from the River Main to the sea and features legendary stories, will be 50 years old. Famous fairytale characters such as "The Frog Prince", "Hansel and Gretel" and "Hans in Luck" are also travelling through the Teutoburg Forest. The holiday route passes through the town of Höxter, whose Corvey Castle is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Bad Oeynhausen. The German Fairy Tale and Weser Legend Museum has been attracting international guests to the world of fairy tales, myths and legends right next to the spa gardens since 1973.
www.deutsche-maerchenstrasse.com
Tenth edition of The Bergische 50
For the tenth edition of the hiking event "Die Bergische 50", the organisers are going one better next year to beat the record of 3,200 participants in 2024. In addition to the 50-kilometre adventure hike through the Bergisches Land region on 10 May, there will be a second tour on 11 May. However, this will "only" be 25 kilometres long.
www.bergische50.de
Top sporting eventsOn the beach and in the fields
World University Games in the Ruhr region
The world visits the Rhine and Ruhr. With Bochum, Duisburg, Essen, Mülheim an der Ruhr and Hagen, five North Rhine-Westphalian cities are hosting the FISU World University Games Summer and are looking forward to an exuberant sports festival from 16 to 27 July 2025. 8,500 student athletes from around 150 countries are expected to compete for medals in 18 sports. In addition to the competitions in sports such as 3x3 basketball, rowing, water sports and basketball, there will be a large arts and culture festival on all twelve days, with the motto: "Everyone plays!" The breathtaking backdrop for the big closing ceremony is the former steelworks in the Duisburg-Nord Landscape Park.
https://rhineruhr2025.com
European Hockey Championships in Mönchengladbach
Mönchengladbach is becoming a hockey stronghold. The city on the Lower Rhine will host the European Hockey Championships for the third time in August 2025. The eight best men's and women's teams in Europe will meet at SparkassenPark. The last time 70,000 hockey fans came to Mönchengladbach was in 2023. That could be topped again next year. This is because both the men's and women's teams already have two top matches on the programme in the group stage (from 8 August) with the matches "Germany : England" and "Germany : Netherlands".
www.eurohockey2025.de/
European Beach Volleyball Championships in Düsseldorf
Copacabana on the Kö: Europe's best beach volleyball players will compete against each other on the beach in Düsseldorf from 30 July to 3 August 2025. The two German women Svenja Müller and Cinja Tillmann are hoping for particularly vociferous support as they aim to defend their European Championship title in front of their home crowd. A total of 32 teams per gender will be competing at the CEV EuroBeachVolley 2025 in the North Rhine-Westphalian state capital, including the Olympic silver medallists from Paris, Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler.
www.sportland.nrw
