Maas-Schwalm-Nette Nature Park

Location of the Maas-Schwalm-Nette nature park

Lake on the German-Dutch border

Entrance to the Kaldenkirchen Sequoia farm

Giant sequoia trees in the Sequoia farm

The Maas-Schwalm-Nette (NMSN) nature park is a cross-border nature park in Germany and the Netherlands that was founded in 2002. It is a regionally significant local recreation area. In total it is 870 km². It gets its name from the flowing rivers Maas , Schwalm and Nette .

It is often equated with the Schwalm-Nette nature park . However, this was founded in 1965; it is now integrated into the NMSN.

It extends over an area in the districts of Kleve , Viersen and Heinsberg as well as in the city of Mönchengladbach in Germany and in the municipalities of Roermond , Roerdalen , Venlo , Echt-Susteren , Leudal and Maasgouw in the Netherlands.

In the Maas-Schwalm-Nette nature park, there is also the Krickenbecker Seen nature reserve with the four peat-cut lakes. The only juniper heather in the Lower Rhine region is located in the area of the community of Niederkrüchten , surrounded by the Elmpter Schwalmbruch. Furthermore, the Kaldenkirchener Grenzwald (municipality of Nettetal) with the Arboretum Sequoiafarm and the geo-hydrological water garden are part of it.

21 visitor centers provide information on the landscape, art, nature, culture and history. Numerous excursions and activities are offered.

The water balance was and is influenced by the lignite mining south of Mönchengladbach. After the mining area Garzweiler I was coaled out, Garzweiler II began . This is slowly approaching Mönchengladbach and thus also the NMSN.

Information centers

Meinweg National Park visitor center

Information center in Nettetal-Hinsbeck (Hombergen)

in Germany
- Nature Park Center Haus Püllen in Wachtendonk
- Information center Krickenbecker Seen in Nettetal
- Brüggen Castle Nature Park Information Center

in the Netherlands

Infocentrum Groote Heide near Venlo
Bezoekerscentrum De Meinweg National Park near Herkenbosch

Conservation facilities

NABU - nature reserve in Nettetal-Sassenfeld
NABU - Nature Conservation Station Haus Wildenrath

Museums and miscellaneous

in Germany
- Lower Rhine open-air museum in Grefrath
- Textile Museum The barn in Nettetal-Hombergen
- Landscape farm Baerlo in Nettetal- Leutherheide with "green classroom"
- Geo-hydrological water garden in Nettetal- Kaldenkirchen
- Arboretum Sequoiafarm Kaldenkirchen
- Brüggen Castle Hunting and Natural History Museum

in the Netherlands

Kinderboerderij Hagehof near Venlo , a farm for children
Botanical Tuin, Jochum-Hof in Steyl shows local plants and a Mediterranean garden
Bezoekerscentrum Towana en keramiekcentrum Tiendschuur in Tegelen offers insights into the local pottery production
De Kookboerderij en De Historische Groentehof in Beesel; a cooking studio in an old farm
St. Elisabethshof NME-Centrum en Strekkmuseum Leudal in Haelen with local history museum
The Roerstreekmuseum in Roermond shows, among other things, archaeological finds
The Bijen bezoekers center in Mariahoop provides information about the world of bees

Movie

Picture book Germany : The Maas-Schwalm-Nette nature park. Documentation, 45 min., A film by Tilman Jens, production: WDR , first broadcast: July 8, 2007, table of contents ( memento of September 27, 2007 in the Internet Archive )