Kalkar & Grieth
Experience culture and history
Kalkar is a medieval, lively and modern town in a central location in the Lower Rhine.
On October 20, 1230 “Calcaria nobile oppidum” – the noble city – was founded and received town rights in 1242. Its location on important trade routes and the trade with drapery, beer and grain led to an economic boom in the 15th and 16th century. Today, more than in any other town on the Lower Rhine, architecture, art and urban planning of the Middle Ages form a single unit. The original town complex is very well preserved. In the historic centre, the market is surrounded by beautiful stair gable houses and the Gothic town hall. This square, with the old court lime tree, offers an unmistakable and hospitable atmosphere; a great gastronomic variety is offered.
The Church of St. Nicolai is undoubtedly the jewel of Kalkar. With its nine Gothic oak carved altars, sculptures, paintings and modern stained glass windows, it is one of the most important art places in the Rhineland.
An impressive ensemble is also the historic town windmill with brewery and beer garden.
In addition to museums, the district offers numerous leisure activities. In the small town of Grieth, once a Hanseatic city and an important customs station for Rhine shipping, the promenade with ship’s mast, the lanes as well as the Hanse Shop with café and the bicycle ferry attract visitors. The “Stone Boat” stands on a granite column in the foreland of the Rhine.
In Wissel, the Romanesque St. Clemens Church and the Wissel Lake with its natural swimming pool and the Kalkar“Wonderland“ at Hönnepel with its family leisure park are popular destinations.
Numerous cycling and hiking routes, e. g. via the junction system, the Lower Rhine Route, the Via Romana and the multimedia information and touring offer “Experience the Rhine meadows”, surround the city and offer relaxation in nature.
Photo Gallery
ContaCt
Tourist-Information Kalkar
Grabenstraße 66
47546 Kalkar
Phone +49 28 24 / 1 31 20
tik@kalkar.de
Links
Sgrooten Flyer A3_072025_dt_final_
Sgrooten Exhibition Autumn 2025
The eminent cartographer Christian Sgrooten, who was born in Sonsbeck and lived with his family in Kalkar for over 55 years until his death, served the Spanish crown for many years. He was a committed citizen with a municipal and supraregional network that included Gerhard Mercator and other mapmakers, printers and publishers. His maps – whether regionally limited maps or (world) maps covering large areas – are characterised by graphic sophistication and masterful colouring. The exhibition presents, among other things, a selection of his regional, European and world maps from the
Brussels Atlas (1572/73) and the Madrid Atlas (1592): jewels of 16th-century cartographic art. The prints – in original formats or enlarged – are supplemented by biographical documents and comparative maps from the period. A collection of several dozen atlases, a historical map cabinet with a crank mechanism, and a mobile with ship motifs from Sgrooten’s cartographic work expand the exhibition.
In addition to the cycle created for this exhibition by the Lower Rhine draughtsman and painter Martin Lersch, other cartographic and artistic finds offer new approaches to this complex of themes.
An extensive accompanying programme of workshops, lectures, readings and tours, as well as specially developed educational material, round off this exhibition marking the 500th birthday of the Kalkar citizen, cartographer and artist.
Cartography is an eminently topical subject with technical, media, social and political implications. The exhibition aims to awaken and reinforce the joy of map reading and an understanding of cartography.
The exhibition can be seen at the Kalkar Municipal Museum from 5 September to 2 November 2025.