Nestled in the Sauerland-Rothaargebirge Nature Park, the Biggesee-Listersee region is especially attractive in these times, offering plenty of nature and space.  The focus here is on hiking - with routes that have various degrees of difficulty. For the 46-kilometer-long Bigge-Lister Trail, it’s best to spread it out over two days. The flat route of "Waldweg Grenzenlos" in Olpe, on the other hand, is only 2.9 kilometers long. Cyclists also have good options: the challenging high-altitude route, for example, starts in Olpe as a 64-kilometer round trip with 900 meters of elevation gain and four hours of riding time. The lake route, which runs for 50 kilometers along the shore, does not require quite as much physical fitness. Popular with families are the 90-minute round trip lake tours on MS Westfalen and MS Bigge. Due to the current situation, both excursion boats are not in operation until April 24 at the earliest.

After a short period of being closed, the open-air museum in Kommern is once again allowed to receive visitors. But visitors must book tickets in advance and have a negative Covid-19 quick test, according to a press release. "A one-way rule is in effect in some of the historic houses; small buildings and the exhibition halls will remain closed, as will the museum and corner store, the bakery and the playground. The inn is closed, but will offer sausages, fries and schnitzel to go, as well as drinks." Admission to the open-air museum is free until April 18, 2021. On the museum grounds, surrounded by fields, meadows and pastures, there are nearly 80 historic buildings from the Rhineland area. Among them are old farms, mills and trade workshops.

The Waldfrieden Sculpture Park in Wuppertal presents the exhibition "Perpetual Motion" to mark the 100th birthday of the Rhenish artist Joseph Beuys. Admission is eight euros. Until June 20, 2021, 25 exhibits from various private collections will be on display in two interior spaces of the park, including the object "Pala" from 1983. The curator of the show is British artist Tony Cragg, who is also the initiator and operator of the sculpture park. Cragg met Beuys in 1972 as a 23-year-old art student in London. A negative Covid-19  quick test is required to visit the indoor exhibition. Visitors without a test can only visit the outdoor area of the sculpture park.

Also on the occasion of the 100th birthday of Joseph Beuys, art enthusiasts can now cycle in the footsteps of the great artist: A new route in the west of North Rhine-Westphalia links the important locations in his life. The "Beuys & Bike" route, which is around 300 kilometers long, connects places from the Lower Rhine to Düsseldorf and Leverkusen that commemorate the artist, who was born in 1921 and died in 1986, Tourismus NRW announced. Stops include Beuys' birthplace in Krefeld, his first studio in the Kleve Kurhaus, and museums with important Beuys works such as Schloss Moyland.

Alhausen in the Westerwald lies "at the end of the world". In earlier times, when the children of the village had to go to school in Stein-Wingert, they walked along a steep path that required them to be sure-footed and free of vertigo. Today, the wildly romantic "Naturpfad Weltende" is part of the tenth stage of the Westerwaldsteig, which runs 20 kilometers from Limbach to the Marienthal Monastery. On the steep slope, ropes help to prevent you from slipping, and the Nister River flows below. However, there is also an easier route if you prefer.

The Messel Pit near Darmstadt has been a Unesco World Heritage Site since 1995. In the finely layered shale of the decommissioned open pit, fossils tell us what the world looked like 48 million years ago. During the Easter vacation period for the state of Hesse (6.4.-18.4.), staff are organizing mystery tours for children and adults twice a day in the outdoor area of the visitor center. The program is compatible with the current corona rules. Participants will receive a game sheet with photos of six stations, around which numerical codes and symbols are hidden.

In the Hunsrück-Hochwald National Park, nature is left to its own devices. The beech trees grow how and where they want. And their deadwood creates new habitats for the primeval forest of the future. Humans are allowed to watch - for example around the Erbeskopf. Since guided tours are currently not possible, the rangers recommend the national park app. In the park, you scan information boards, a ranger appears on your smartphone and provides information.

(Orig. text: GA / Translation: Carol Kloeppel)