Open Monuments Day on September 13: From Underground Sites to Water Attractions

Historic castles, churches and old buildings may come to mind first when people think of monuments. But North Rhine-Westphalia’s Open Monuments Day on September 13 will also showcase less familiar sites, including small properties and places maintained by local associations.

One featured destination is Essen’s Grugabad, which opened in 1964 as one of Germany’s most modern leisure pools. It has four large pools, extensive lawns, a wave facility and a futuristic double slide known as the Elephant Slide because of its trunk-like shape. The municipal pool has been protected as a monument since 2020, and the city plans a general renovation.

The Grugabad Friends association says the complex should remain a meeting place for the city’s diverse population. Visitors can join guided tours focusing on its architecture, history and technology. On the pool’s final opening day, they can also enjoy one last swim, with the outdoor season’s “last wave” beginning at 7 p.m.

Another attraction is the Femeeiche oak in Raesfeld-Erle, in Westmünsterland. Its trunk has reached a circumference of 12 metres over roughly 1,000 years, making it one of Germany’s oldest trees. The largely hollow trunk needs supports, which have held up its broad crown for more than a century.

On September 13, a member of the local heritage association will dress as a medieval free count and stage a documented court hearing concerning a crime from 1441. The performance begins at 3 p.m. beneath the imposing oak in the centre of Erle.