Location: Kevelaer
Top Things to do in Kevelaer
The 6 Best Things to Do in Kevelaer, Germany
Kevelaer is a municipality in the district of Kleve, in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is the largest Catholic pilgrimage location within north-western Europe. More than 1 million pilgrims, mostly from Germany and the Netherlands, visit Kevelaer every year to honour the Virgin Mary. The population in 2015 was 28,311.
Restaurants in Kevelaer
1. Basilika St. Marien
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 40 reviews
Reviewed By AmericanInEurope02 - San Antonio, Texas
Kevelaer is the most popular pilgrimage site in northern Germany, so there are a bunch of churches in this one area. A couple of them are worth visiting for the artwork and the historic connections.
The artwork in this place is spectacular. Better than a lot of more famous churches, its problem is it is out of the area from anything else. If in the area worth coming to see, but not to divert long distances for.
The city is also really nice, would spent some time here sitting here in restaurants enjoying the atmosphere.
2. Gnadenkapelle
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 40 reviews
Reviewed By Robert937 - Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Actually this small mercy chapel was built in 1654 seven years later than the nearby pilgrim's church (Kerzenkapelle) and perhaps more importantly in a different baroque style in contrast to the austere Protestant churches in the North. One can imagine the almost frivolous architecture was more appealing to the Roman Catholic pilgrims especially when they came from Northern Germany, Holland and England where they were a minority. The chapel was built around the old prayer column and still serves as a place to pray by devotees who are again increasingly a minority in modern Europe.
3. Kerzenkapelle
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 30 reviews
Reviewed By Robert937 - Rotterdam, The Netherlands
A chapel dedicated to Mary, but full of testimonies confirming pilgrims made it to Kevelaer, be it alone or especially in groups or associations. All over there are shields usually stating the year and name of the association. A kind of sophisticated graffiti. Over the years people came in their thousands. Until in the mid 1960s the activity began to decrease. Why? It remains a topic for academic study. Due to better education more and more people stopped to believe in miracles. No doubt Hendrick Busman, a traveling peddler,heard Mary's command from heaven to build her a chapel which he realized in 1642. The catholic faithful that followed believed they were healed by the heavenly virgin, but anno 2017... What remains is mainly tourists who burn a candle. Happily only outside this chapel, thus avoiding pollution of the colorful interior.
4. Niederrheinisches Museum fur Volkskunde und Kulturgeschichte
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 9 reviews
Reviewed By SamB77 - Norfolk, UK
We had a trip to Kevelaer and were drawn to this museum for its Otzi exhibition signs. It was a lovely museum. They had a little coffee machine to allow you to buy drinks and sit in the cafe. The cafe seemed also like a bar, so I don't know whether it is used for something else in the evenings. The museum was quite large. As well as the exhibition space, they also had about 3 floors with everything from art to toys to professions and archeaology as well as a street where you went back in time through different premises - a school, baker, hair dresser and the likes. I thought it was very well done and I'm sure kids would love the place. It was only €3 to get in for adults, so it wasn't expensive for the amount on offer. The Otzi exhibition was also very interesting.
5. St. Antonius
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 4 reviews
Reviewed By Corvus2010 - Langenfeld, Germany
Als wir vom Bahnhof herkommend zum Zentrum in Kevelaer gingen, kamen wir an einer großen Kirche vorbei und waren der Ansicht, es handele sich um die Wallfahrtskirche.
Wir gingen hinein und wunderten uns, dass wir ganz allein in solch einer großen Kirche waren.
Es klärte sich aber schnell: Wir waren in der Stadtkirche, der St.Antonius-Kirche.
Der Kirchenraum wirkt schlicht und ist sehr zurückhaltend mit farblicher Bemalung - ganz anders im Vergleich hierzu die Marienbasilika mit ihrer über und über bunten Bemalung, die wir später kennen lernten.
Hier an St. Antonius sind es eigentlich zwei Kirchen, in die wir gelangt waren - die Antonius Kirche und Antoniuskapelle. Auch in der Kapelle, die schlicht weiß gehalten ist, wirken einzelne sakrale Kunstwerke umso schöner: Auf den Tabernakel ist alles ausgerichtet, daneben an der Säule die Mutter Gottes Figur mit dem Jesuskind.
Zurück im großen Kirchenschiff entdeckten wir hinter dem Altar das Kreuz mit einem verkohlten Korpus am Kreuz. Die Erklärung fanden wir dann, als wir im Bildbändchen der Kirche nachlasen, dass die Kirche 1982 abgebrannt ist - so ist alles neu erstanden, und der Künstler Bert Gerresheim hat das verbrannte Kreuz in sein Kunstwerk des Hochkreuzes mit einbezogen.
Die Fenster fanden wir so interessant - klare Strukturen mit vielen bildnerischen Elementen - aber auch hier vorsichtige Dosierung von Farben - nur im Seitenschiff werden die Farben intensiver.
Unser Tipp: Auch wenn Sie – so wie wir – auf das Wallfahrtszentrum ausgerichtet sind, gehen Sie trotzdem in die St.Antonius-Kirche – sie ist so schlicht, dass sie einfach schön wirkt und die sakralen Gegenstände wirken dann umso beeindruckender. Beim nächsten Besuch werden wir wohl so legen, dass wir eine Messe mitfeiern können, denn der hohe Kirchraum wird auch der Orgel viel Raum geben.
6. Rouenhof
Overall Ratings
5 based on 2 reviews
Reviewed By Norbert K - Kevelaer
Der Rouenhof ist ein Biohof. Neben Biofleisch, Brot und Käse, alles Bio, kann man dort feiern und gut essen.
Wir fahren dort gerne hin und sitzen bei dem Einkauf draußen oder drinnen und trinken gemütlich einen Kaffe
