When most people think of Altes Land, it’s no wonder that the beautiful orchards and delicious fruit are the first things that come to mind. But the region also has many museums, a castle and a lot of nature to explore. The Niederelbe Natureum is 60,000 square meters and will help you get to know the Lower Elbe and the Elbe Coastal Park, complete with an observation tower, a weather/bird observation station, and a permanent exhibition with a sperm whale skeleton.
The Hanseatic city of Stade also has a particularly varied cultural program to offer visitors, offering up plenty of interesting ways to learn about the Hanseatic League and the region in general. The best way to do this is to head to the Schwedenspeicher Museum, where you can learn about the history of the city and the Hanseatic era through a multimedia exhibition. The Kunsthaus Stade art gallery, housed in an old warehouse, also holds exciting works of modern and contemporary art.
You can also explore Altländer history at the Altes Land museum in Jork. Housed in the impressive Altländer Fachhallenhaus (or Low German house in English), the museum tracks the changeful development of the area, which has been largely characterised by the constant threat of flooding.
You’ll feel like royalty at Agathenburg Castle near Stade, or like an aristocrat anyway. Although no monarchs lived at this gorgeous castle, the von Königsmarck aristocratic family once did. Their lives and familial legacy is traced at Agathenburg Castle with the help of an exciting, experience-oriented exhibition which is particularly well-suited for older children.